Final Reunion
by AliasKei
Summary: Fifteen Years after the Calamity, Cloud hasn't aged a day, and the members of Avalanche have slowly grown apart. Cloud keeps a secret he doesn't want anyone to find, but will the secret keep? Cloud.Sephiroth Based on events of the original game only.
1. Prologue: Lost

It always happened when there was a fire, the flashbacks. Although this time the stench was mercifully absent. There was no burning flesh to accompany the musky scent of burning wood. Yet that was only natural, this was nothing more than a bonfire. He stared into the flame as everyone else energetically ran about the Junon beach. Someone asked him if he was alright. He nodded at them an forced a slight smile. They wereren't paying that close attention, distracted by the festivities of the evening. It was a relief to Cloud. He didn't enjoy being the center of attention.

Ever since the end (Or had it been the beginning?) everyone was so grateful for the chance to continue their lives that they almost too enthusiastically put all their efforts into rebuilding everything all over again. This time, with more regard for the environment. Junon was just one small example. The water had cleared considerably, and the Sister Ray had been moved back, purely as a historic piece for future generations. Mako reactors had been outlawed, and scientists were working on more natural and clean energy sources.

Most of the work had been done in Midgar, it was really the place that needed the most renovation. Cloud hadn't been there for over seven years, Not since the last time he'd been to see Tifa. She'd settled down by then, still at the same bar, with three kids of her own. She'd asked him not to come back, that it was too hard on her husband, who felt he couldn't compete with someone who'd saved the world.

It had been a messy business, the aftermath. Cloud had disappeared right after they beat Sephiroth, before Holy had protected the planet. No one had known why he left, and he didn't care to explain. He still hadn't explained, especially after he told Tifa not to bother waiting for him. He was glad that although his name was known, as well as what he'd done, there were no pictures of him so he could wander into civilization every so often without too much fuss to make sure he wasn't the only person left on the planet. Solitude was what he preferred, but the human mind wasn't equipped to deal with it for very long with out the stirrings of insanity.

It was a new generation now. Most young adults had only been old enough to barely understand what had been going on, and to have seen the meteor. But that's what happened when fifteen years had passed. Tifa's oldest daughter would be ten soon, and Marlene was nearing her mid-twenties. Cloud hadn't aged at all. Not even a day in 15 years. He hadn't seen anybody besides Vincent and Nanaki since he realized, since it started to be noticeable. Vincent had speculated that it could be the Jenova cells, or any other number of experiments that Hojo might have done. After all, he hadn't aged either. It wasn't the mako. In fact, most of the remaining soldiers were dead. A strange mako related illness had wiped them out. It was speculated to be an after effect of the Holy materia's protection of the planet. Who knew why Cloud and Vincent had somehow survived it

Cloud had often wondered if Zack would have lived this long. He had been highly resilliant against most all of the experiments that Hojo had done. An amazing accomplishment to be sure, but partially the reason Cloud had been subjected to so much, once he had been determined a more pliable subject. Cloud shuddered involuntarily. It had taken him those first five years after the Calamity to stabilize his own mental state. There had been a lot of mess in his mind and although he'd overcome most of it on his own, he didn't know what to do with his life anymore.

The prospect of living was not a comfortable one, not when he didn't even know if he could ever die of old age. Suicide was not a concept he'd ever really considered. Though he had once thrown himself in the lifestream in an unstable moment, hoping it would carry him to peace. Apparently after the first poisoning he'd become nearly immune, or it rejected him. He wasn't sure which. He'd woke up on the beach of the northern continent, realizing that he'd tried to commit suicide without even thinking about it. He was a lot more cautious of impulsive actions after that, ashamed of his weakness.

Cloud walked up the beach, past the little girl with the dolphin who was all grown up and had forgotten about him. Most places he went now it was as if he'd never existed. A treatment he'd grown used to even before he'd returned to Nebelheim with Zack and Sephiroth. If no one knew him, He wouldn't have to watch anyone die whilst for him, time refused to move.

~ * * * * * * ~

Vincent woke up suddenly. Something felt wrong. The door to the crypt rattled. He slowly pushed aside the top quietly, stopping as he had enough room to slip through. He waited a few moments to see if it would rattle again. Had one of the avalanche members forgotten the key? He shook his head. They would have called his name. He heard the creak of footsteps on the staircase, and minutes later, the closing of the wall at the top. He walked out of his room looking in the direction of the stairway. There was a cross draft through the hallway. He looked the other way and the door to the library was ajar.

He frowned. Had some kids snuck in and stumbled upon the secret door? Not likely. He'd altered the release so it was impossible to use without knowing what you were doing. Or where it was. He walked into the library. Where was the draft coming from? He didn't remember there being any way out from this room. As he walked towards the back, he noticed many books had been taken out of the bookshelf and placed on the ground. Some were missing. He frowned. There was one book left in an otherwise emptied shelf, half hanging out in a way that defied gravity. Vincent walked over to the book and pulled it out. It came off easily. He opened it and flipped through the pages. It was indeed a normal book, he wasn't sure why he had thought it would be anything else.

He looked back at the bookshelf only to see an upraised piece of wood, under which there was a switch. The book must have gotten caught. Vincent pressed it, and the motion was accompanied by a 'shckt'. He put the piece of wood back down and it covered the button perfectly, as if it was just part of the bookshelf. Not even a seam could be discerned. Vincent felt apprehensive, a dark sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. He had once examined each and every wall in this room, every nook and cranny for signs of something hidden.

He opened the compartment and pressed the switch once more. The draft returned after the sound, he hadn't even notice it stop. Well that answered the question of where it was coming from. He looked up. He swore. He'd never thought of the ceiling. Those scientists always did things underneath everything, it was unexpected. He jumped up effortlessly. Genetic alteration had it's perks.

It was exactly as he'd expected. A concrete reinforced room, as small as he remembered, but big enough to conduct more 'personal' experiments. The room was covered in dust, save for the footprints that were about the room, and spots where it looked like books or paper had been . Vincent followed the trail of footsteps with his eyes, and they went finally to the computer in the north corner. There was flashing letters on the computer, he narrowed his eyes to read it better.

Backup Disc complete....

Vincent closed his eyes, counting to himself and refusing to panic. He had to get ahold of Cloud. He hopped out of the entrance and landed on the floor with a thud. He closed the room on his way out. He stopped by his room and grabbed his mantle before heading up the stairs.

He swore softly as he left.

~ * * * * * * ~

Cloud crouched down just at the edge of that final battleground. His hand resting on the handle of his buster sword, which was half thrust into the ground. He didn't move as footsteps scuffed across the rock behind him and halted just to feet away. Nor did he react when a voice spoke.

"It took me three months to find you. This was really the last place I expected you to be, but for some reason it's the second place I looked after I covered your regular spots."

"Someone took it," Cloud murmured softly "Who would have come this far or even known to do so..." He sighed as he stood up. "Something's going on Vincent. Something I don't like." He turned around to face the older man.

"What is it?" he asked sharply, knowing Vincent wouldn't come after him all the way out here for no reason.

"I had to ask Cid for a ride. I hope you don't mind." Vincent said. Cloud stood there for a moment looking at him, then walked past him, pulling up his sword and heading the long way up out of the crater.

"It doesn't really matter," he replied.

"Someone came to the Shinra mansion," Vincent started slowly. "and found something I'd long since proven to myself wasn't there." He looked sideways at Cloud. He got a quick look out of it, but Cloud kept his quick pace. Vincent had to lengthen his stride to keep up, even though he was following someone who was shorter.

"Hojo's lab, the one I was... altered in. It was there, just how I'd remembered it, " Vincent related. Cloud paused and looked at him, obviously contemplating the information. He started walking forward again, slowing down a bit for the other man.

"I don't remember much of the time..." he trailed off, but knowing Vincent would know what he was referring to he continued "But we were both always heavily sedated between tests a..." he stopped talking abruptly.

"Cloud, whoever it was took all the research information." Cloud's step faltered there, but he kept walking. They continued in silence for the duration of the trip out. Nothing attacked them. Vincent noticed on various occasions things actually skittered away.

Did Cloud come here so often that the inhabitants had learned to fear him? Why on earth would he even have a reason to visit? What was it that someone took? There was something odd about Cloud's behavior after it all ended, but he didn't really know anyone who could say they knew Cloud well. Not even Tifa knew him during that most crucial part of his life. Not when he was still... him. No one left alive had been around during those crucial years of his life. Vincent almost sighed. Cloud was a good friend but he never let anyone close. Not anyone that wasn't already part of who he was.

Vincent suspected that the only reason Cloud was even remotely as close to Vincent as he was, was because they'd both experienced similar horrors as being experiments under Hojo... and because Vincent had also been associated to Shinra. No civilian would understand the same kind of things. Military had the way of beating the civilian out of you, so much you could barely connect with regular people anymore.

Cloud stopped just before the exit came in sight.

"The Shinra Labs had an attempted break in a few months back. The suspect was caught and after questioning said he was anonymously hired to do it." he frowned. "It was a little strange, but I thought nothing of it at the time." He turned to Vincent with a serious look "What do you think the objective is?"

"I," Vincent started "I'm not sure I even want to guess, but the worse case scenario I can think of is to continue Hojo's research." he sighed. "But I can't even figure out who would want to, or who would even know where to look." Cloud nodded.

"Well for the moment, there's nothing we can do about it. But I'd like to go back to the mansion and take a look"

~ * * * * * * ~

On the Highwind, they related the situation to Cid, who listened intently, smoking at least a pack of cigarettes at the time. He added a few facts of his own that had bothered him as well.

"I was hauling a few packages up to the Icicle Inn as a favor a while back, and I heard that the Doc's house had been broken into, ya know, what's his name, Fuck. Ghast. All the equipment was just ripped straight out but no one knew who the hell took the shit." He paused to mash his cigarette in one of the abundant ash trays, and lit another as he continued. "I figured they wanted to sell the stuff, but fuck. It's really all a bit too suspicious when put together like that."

Cloud smiled at Cid as he mulled over the information. The old man, never really looked or acted older, just a hint more of grey and wrinkles around the eyes from squinting in the sun. He was probably the only one who wouldn't openly comment on Cloud's apparent age, or lack thereof. Cloud half wondered if he even noticed.

"I wish we knew who might have a fucking motive." Cid mumbled. "I hate unfinished business." He looked up, and Cloud just knew he was thinking of the space program.

"I heard they started it up again" He said softly.

"Yeah," Cid replied, without even noticing it was an entirely different subject. "Fuckers waited forever too." He took his legs off from the table, one at a time, and leaned his arm on it "It's understandable, what with all the cleanup, but hell, did they even think to include me in on the deal?" He snorted "Me, the first man in space, and they couldn't even consider coming to me." He shook his fist " I really oughtta...." He trailed off and slumped into the chair more, mumbling.

"What was missing?" Vincent asked Cloud silently. Cloud gave him a slow look, then glanced back at Cid, who was also looking at him with a bit of curiosity. He stared at the center of the table.

"His sword." He said a little dully. Vincent looked a bit confused, and oddly, it was Cid that understood right away. He gave Cloud a nod of acknowledgment.

"You really knew him well didn't you?" Cloud shook his head.

"No, not at all." He smiled halfheartedly. "But I wanted to. And I couldn't just bear for him to be forgotten like that...."

"When Aerith died." he started. "She had..." He paused, searching for the words "No one would even dream of forgetting her. Not especially after what she did," another pause "who she was too." At this point, Vincent knew exactly who Cloud was talking about.

"Sephiroth," he stated. Cloud nodded and continued.

"But he-" Cloud glanced up uncomfortably. "No one ever really knew him. Not even back then. He never let anyone close, wasn't allowed to" Cloud cocked his head and sighed. "And as for what he did, as far as most people know, he died back in Nebelheim. Anyone who knows better..." He started to place his hand behind his head in a signature Zack move, what most people had come to know as his, and stopped halfway, realizing what he was doing, then following through anyway. "Well, for them what he did is even more of a reason to hate or forget him." He looked at Vincent.

"They can't even begin to understand that he- also" He stopped with a slight look of pain and a shake of his head. "And there's no way they even could." He looked up again. Vincent had a slight frown on his face. Cid gave Vincent a knowing look. He'd heard both of their stories, and had heard all the rumors about the General.

"He was once a good man, a 'Hero' even, if a little distant and harsh" Cloud said firmly, looking strait at both of them "And he deserved to be remembered just as well as anyone else." He looked up "Maybe more..."

"Yet all I could do was offer him something that was already his...." He trailed off. "I didn't have the skill to give him something more like what he deserved.


	2. Chapter One: A Voice

He drifted along formless, unable to find a purchase, The lifestream had swallowed him again, after his only tie left to the world was severed. He had felt he was growing stronger with every week, with every visit. A presence that mourned... Was it the heart of those who could not let go of the past that brought the dead into being? The ghosts existing only in the minds of those who mourned them?

But why then, had he become so strong with only one remembering him? Only one to visit him in his near-slumber. No that wasn't right, someone else had come, right before he'd been once again submerged into the flow without time or death. A voice that had spoken to him. What had it said?

"Forgive me"

Though he didn't remember it being very apologetic, no it sounded more amused than anything. If he still had them, he would have narrowed his eyes at the memory. Yet it as what the voice said next that had become such a confusement on his consciousness.

"It is a petty thing I take from you, compared to what I plan on giving in return, Wait patiently, only one such as you is worth the effort..."

The voice had been harsh, yet warm at the same time. Deep and melodic, with a bit of steel behind the humorous note it carried. He would remember that voice. For some unknown reason, he had no doubt that it would be the very next voice he heard.

~ * * * * * * ~

Cloud parted from his two companions shortly after he examined the contents of Hojo's lab. It had been a hard thing not to break down right there. There had been very few reminders of the past to bother him in the last decade, and he didn't have the stomach to deal with it, even given his newfound concrete frame of mind.

He had seemingly endless flashbacks in the space of a few seconds, even upon breathing the very air of the room. Everything seemed overlaid, past and current sad hollow present. Although it was dusty, there was still a repulsive and sterile quality about it. He could hear the beeps of machines and the muffled mumbling of a younger Hojo. He could only be proud of himself for keeping the encroaching panic at bay somehow.

The beeps were carrying over to the present though, drawing his attention to the computer database. He went through the computer though the formulas were far from his understanding, and the jargon only triggered more anguish. He'd remembered staring blankly at the screen many times when Hojo had used paralyzing agents on him, doing nothing for the pain.

He examined the footsteps, and thankfully to his experience as an aspiring SOLDIER he remembered how to judge height by the print. It was too tall to be Hojo, thank god, but Cloud had doubted very much that it could be. They'd taken apart that scientist three times or more, and decimated the remains after all. He wasn't likely to crawl back from hell anytime soon. Though fear of Jenova's tenacity gave enough room for doubt, to be sure.

All that remained was to find a motive then, and someone who could understand what could be done. Cloud was tempted to ask Cid to bring Sherra over. Yet something about all of this made Cloud feel like retreating. Something about the things that tied together, and the things that didn't, made Cloud want to wait and see what would happen, alone. And that was entirely what he'd planned on doing.

He left Vincent and Cid with the promise that they would share any future information, and that they would all keep the rest of Avalanche out of it. Cid seemed a little reluctant for a while, but one sharp look from both Cloud and Vincent proved enough to force a promise out of him.

XXXXXX

He found himself in Costa Del Sol no more than a few months later with no need for money, paying for everything in manual labor even though he had plenty of cash. It was then, then and there that it happened; the next clue.

A note came for him via, 'that guy over there' whom of course, wasn't. It was suspicious, high quality stationary in a rather neat scrawl, done by a quill pen. The kind of pen no one used since even before the invention of typewriters. The letters were airy, any the ink glistened in the dim light of the bar.

Something of interest,

Gold saucer, November 3rd

Bet on #3, Second Race, Noon.

Cloud tapped his had on the counter next to his half-finished drink, calculating the time it took to get from here to there.

He'd have a few days before the meeting at worst, at best a week and a half. But only if he left now. Cloud frowned, debating for a few moment's whether to contact anyone else. The note hadn't said to come alone.

He felt like he needed to though, not because a crowd might scare whoever this was away, but because everyone else had moved on. They had their own lives and futures. Maybe, he thought, he just wanted his own future alone. It's not like there was anything to lose. Not anymore.

Cloud finished the rest of the drink in one quick gulp, slamming the glass down and tossing some change on the counter to cover it. He slung his small travel-pack over his shoulder opposite his sword and headed to the docks.

~ * * * * * * ~

Cloud tried not to be impatient as he waited for the right race. He'd been here for almost a week now and every moment was only a moment closer to the appointed time. It was also terribly easy to get bored of the games. The Saucer updated them regularly, but Cloud was awfully good at all of them. The last race ran a little overtime after a chocobo went wild and ran off course after unseating it's jockey. Cloud resisted the urge to stare at the clock, trying to work on his patience.

The lady at the counter called bets open for the next race finally, as they started to set up the track. Cloud was third in line. After he bought his ticket, the man behind him asked if he always bought the same number as his position in line. Cloud just nodded to get rid of the guy. He stepped to the side, watching the screens display the chocobos all lined up. He had apparently bet on the sorriest looking mange he'd ever seen. Number three was a regular yellow with more scars than Cloud had hairs. It started out fast, snapping at anyone trying to pass it.

He was wondering what the purpose of the meeting place and occasion was, when a voice came from the side of him. A warm deep voice, not quite baritone, but not tenor at a long stretch.

"I bet you a drink that your number will lose to mine." It said cooly, but not coldly. Cloud glanced back, only to get a wink from a man standing only a foot away. How had anyone gotten that close without him noticing? Cloud had to keep himself from jumping back in surprise. His body settled for an eye twitch.

The man in consideration was a good half foot taller than Cloud standing in a relaxed, yet proud stance. He was dressed in all white, a expensively cut suit with a slightly longer coat and a trendy collar. His eyes were a brandy yellow, and his hair was a light gray. Too dull to be considered either silver or white, but clean and glossy nonetheless.

While Cloud looked the man over, the race ended. The man held up his number without even looking at the board. It was the winning number. Cloud's had come in last place. The man motioned to the side with his head, and followed Cloud, leading the way from behind. They wound their way around the tubes of the Gold Saucer to a small bar that Cloud had never realized was there. Cloud paused just inside, looking about for a place to sit.

His companion walked right bast him towards the back corner. Cloud followed. As they drew closer, he saw that there was an alcove slightly withdrawn from the rest of the bar. The bar wasn't very crowded anyhow, but it added extra privacy that he wondered why they'd be needing.

"Louis" The man said as he slid into the booth seat. "It's my name." he folded his fingers together, resting his elbows on the table.

"Alright" Cloud acknowledged calmly, receiving a raised eyebrow in return. "And what is the business of Louis?" Cloud asked still calm. Calmer than he felt by far. He was really rather nervous.

"Well 'Louis'" the man started, "Wanted to show you these" He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, tossing it across the table as he spoke. He returned his hands to their resting spot atop each other.

Cloud eyed the package, opening it and looking at the contents. He almost dropped them. His hands tightened, he felt like he was holding hot metal.

"These were taken two weeks ago. Completely legitimate." The man smiled. Cloud gave him a quick glance, before staring right back at the pictures. His hand shook ever so slightly.

"And why me?" Cloud asked. "What purpose is there in giving these pictures to me?"

"I figure" Louis started, amused, "If a man travels every week or two to one of the most dangerous and remote areas of the world to visit the grave he made for the man he spent almost a year hunting down and killed.." He looked at Cloud for a few moments before continuing. Cloud continued to stare at the pictures after a quick glance up at the pause. "He can't exactly hate the guy now can he." Louis got no response as Cloud placed one picture down, looking at the next. A slight frown furrowed his still young brow.

"Hell Cloud" Louis said referring to the Soldier by name "You've spent months there at a time. Do you know how long I had to wait for you to be gone long enough for me to safely cover my tracks after taking the sword?" Louis sighed "Besides, I doubt anyone else would appreciate my restoration of a masterpiece like this."

"It was mostly my second cousin, Ghast's work." Louis went on "Hojo only did follow up for the most part." he paused looking at Cloud again, who was placing aside yet another picture in the pile. "I'm no professional photographer, but I think they turned out rather well. More thanks to the subject than anything else." He smiled "It's not everyday one gets t-" Cloud interrupted him by placing the pictures back into the envelope and setting them on the counter with a loud snap as he stood up.

"Take me to him" he demanded abruptly. Louis stared at him a moment before nodding and getting up himself.

"I will do so. Though you don't have to be so pushy about it." he mumbled. He walked past Cloud, smiling a feline smile as soon as he got past the sight of those mako eyes. It was exactly as he'd planned... with no actual plan of how it was going to be exactly. Which is kind of cheating, but hey, who's counting.

Cloud followed two steps behind the taller 'doctor'. Not thinking of much else but the face in those pictures, with a serious look on his face, and a tenseness to his stride. The sooner they got there the better, in his mind. Wherever 'there' happened to be....


	3. Chapter Two: To Begin

He was floating. A sensation he'd become quite used to for who knows how long. Endlessly drifting along, yet this time something was different. A feeling different from the emptiness of the harmony that had encompassed him, the weightlessness of the peace. He no longer felt as if he'd lost himself, as if he was a part of someone else's whole. Or something else, much larger than he had ever been. He felt complete again... but more than that, he could almost imagine he could feel again.

There was still something that prevented him from moving. It was the floating. Something was fighting against his very urge to move. He wanted to move so much it was frustrating, he wanted to blink his eyes, move his hand, or even breathe, but it was all being taken away from him by whatever it was that encompassed him. He tried to open his eyes but he felt like he failed before he even started.

It was a feeling so foreign, yet so familiar. Failure. Had he ever known it? He must if he could put a name to it.

He could vaguely hear voices beyond the silence. He'd heard voices before when he was drifting, but those had been soft melodic whispers, many voices woven into one. These were dull, muffled as if there were a thick barrier between him and them. He felt withdrawn. Something he hadn't felt in so long, he'd forgotten it was possible. it was a comfortable feeling. He knew this feeling and it was bittersweet.

He sat there and imagined moving his arm to reach the sounds beyond. Of course, he didn't move, but the image he felt was comforting. He slipped once more into the oblivion of the moment.

~ * * * * * * ~

Cloud sat there staring at the tube with wonder, his hand resting against the cool glass looking at the most peaceful face he'd ever seen. Sephiroth, in all his glory, floating weightlessly in a cool green liquid, The same color cloud remembered his eyes to be, but not quite as clear. He was naked as the day he was born, flawless from head to foot, and looking exactly as Cloud had seen him last. Right down to the almost peaceful, almost painful expression.

Cloud frowned slightly as he stared at Sephiroth's hair. It was even longer than he remembered it. He gave a glance back to Louis, then back to the tube. It was probably a good thing the former soldier's eyes were closed, because Cloud doubted the man he knew so little would be happy with finding himself in a lab. Cloud knew he wouldn't be, in the same situation.

"How long did it take you to do this?" Cloud asked without looking over his shoulder.

"About seven years of failed attempts."" Louis said blandly. "This one took less than the rest though. He was completed in six months, two weeks ago to be exact, and he's perfect." Louis said with a smile.

"Why even bother?" Cloud asked, unable to hide the note of confusion from his voice. Louis continued to smile at Cloud's back, not answering.

"It's really because of you that I could even succeed." he said. Cloud looked at him quickly with a frown. "I found after many attempts to reproduce him, that souls don't just appear once a body is created. I had to look through both Hojo and Ghast's research to try and find an answer, but believe it or not I found my inspiration in a children's book based on a fairy- tale." Louis turned away and took a few steps across the room, his hands behind his back.

"Well it wasn't as simple as that. I had to do a lot of research afterwards, and history of any kind older than a couple hundred years is near impossible, but I finally arrived upon the theory that souls can be tied to their place of death, or burial."

"Not the most unique idea mind you, people and their religions have known that for years, but scientists? That's an entirely different matter." He grinned at Cloud, who was looking at him wide eyed now. "I'm glad you chose to make that grave, and visit it, makeshift or not. Because it's a proven fact, that in a world where everyone forgets about you, it's just that much easier to forget about yourself." Cloud stared at him.

"Although I'm not sure about the state of his consciousness." Louis said as he gazed past cloud at the 'sleeping' man "He spent a long time in the lifestream. It destroys the living, but I have no idea what it does to the dead." He finished, his voice a little mocking towards the end. Cloud flinched at the last word. Seeing Sephiroth here in the flesh and intact, made it almost easy to forget he'd ever died. Or maybe Cloud just wanted to forget he'd ever died by his hand. He glanced at his hand pressed up against the cold glass.

"Take care of him will you?" Louis asked softly. "Being a scientist, I don't know if I'm capable of doing so well." He looked at Cloud a little sadly "And I don't think I'd ever understand him. When I was younger, he was the 'Great Sephiroth' after all" He walked over to the computer and started typing in commands at a ridiculous speed "And you're really the only one with any claim to greatness beside him." Louis gave him a lopsided grin. "You've survived many similar experiences, I don't think I even know the half of it, but you're really the only one who can do it."

"I'll do it" Cloud whispered almost inaudibly. Louis didn't hear him.

"I mean it would be a shame to leave him alone where he mig-"

"I said I'll take care of him" Cloud said a little louder this time, firmly. Louis stopped mid-sentence. He stared at cloud for a moment, halting in the middle of his typing.

"Oh." He said softly, pausing before he continued typing in commands. He pressed one last key with an abrupt punch of his finger. Cloud almost jumped as he heard a loud metallic chunk as some sort of lock was released behind him. He turned around as the green liquid drained out of tubes hooked up to the glass casing. Sephiroth's body slowly sank as it drained until it collapsed entirely at the bottom without the liquid to hold him up. The glass was lifted up, and Cloud rushed to help him. The tall man looked to be asleep, his breathing calm and body relaxed. Cloud looked up just in time to receive a blanket to the face.

"Wrap him in that" Louis said. Cloud was about to protest and ask for a towel, when he realized that Sephiroth wasn't wet. What had that liquid been? He wrapped the towel around the SOLDIER and lifted him up, surprisingly without too much difficulty. His silver-white hair fell to the ground and Cloud frowned as he tried to maneuver it around his arm, while still keeping Sephiroth aloft. He ended up having to prop him to a sitting position as he threw the hair over his shoulder.

After Cloud had everything balanced once more, Louis led him to a serviceable bedroom, a little too pristine to be really cozy but otherwise comfortable looking. He laid Sephiroth down on the bed carefully, resisting a sudden urge to toss him onto it, and sat in a chair beside it.

"When will he wake up" Cloud asked Louis. the scientist shook his head,

"I don't know. Let me go make a few quick calculations" He said as he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Cloud crossed his arms and stared at what had been his adversary, his idol, for so long. He glanced over at the closed door to contemplate a safer subject, the doctor.

He wasn't sure what to make of this Louis. He was a scientist for one, which in Cloud's mind was ten strikes against him. But Cloud had never known Ghast, who he'd heard was a very kind man. Louis' reasons were suspect though, partially because Cloud had no idea what he could gain from this. Was there something he was overlooking? Something only a scientist would notice as a benefit?

He couldn't help but not trust the guy. No matter how human with emotions he seemed at times. In some way it just made Cloud more suspicious. He sighed. It wasn't something he could just walk away from though. He looked over at what might be his newfound shackle. It chose that very moment to move...

~ * * * * * * ~

He breathed in. A breath of air, a breath of life. All new beginnings start with nothing much more than a breath. He breathed out, feeling his own warm breath hovering near his face for a moment, humid, before dissipating, lost to the vastness of the cool air beyond. Someone else sucked in a quick breath. It seemed to be in response to his movement. He opened his eyes. A face leaned over him, eyes widened as they stared at him. What caused that expression?

They were blue, he noticed after a slight pause in thought. Sky blue, crystal blue.... mako blue. He didn't understand any of the thoughts that came to mind describing that color. They might as well have been eye blue for all he could remember of other things. Why didn't that bother him, he wondered as he stared into those blue eyes?

The hair reminded him of Chocobo down, though that was just another word he couldn't recall a face or memory to. Yet this face was familiar. He remembered it. And he remembered it crying, splattered with a color he remembered as red. Why had the boy been sad? He could remember happiness at that moment. And warmth, followed by silence, interrupted only by the sobs, which had seemed muffled by a great distance.

He tried to get up, his muscles listening to him, but a little awkward. The boy scooted back, his eyes still wide. Was he afraid? No. Just nervous it seemed. How he knew that he wasn't sure. He didn't fully understand all of his thoughts, though they came naturally. They were foreign, yet nothing about them didn't belong. He was looking in through the wrong side of a looking glass at himself. The only thing out of place was the confusion he felt. He was never confused. He scoffed mentally at the thought. Though he was feeling a little detached as he slowly felt his child-like wonder and curiosity fading away. It wasn't anything that would have helped him in the long run anyway.

"Where am I" He asked the boy, giving him his cold stare. His voice came out smoothly, but cracked at the last word. The boy opened his mouth to reply, stopped with it open there, as his brows furrowed in contemplation with a hint of confusion. He closed his mouth and finally just shrugged.

It seemed the boy wasn't sure what to do with him. He slid out from under the covers, and stood, barely catching one of the blankets as it fell and holding it at waist level when he realized he was naked. The boy seemed to stifle a laugh. He frowned sharply at him. No one had ever laughed at him except..except..

He clutched his head in pain, trying to remember and forget at the same time. The blanket fell, but it didn't make much difference as he collapsed to his knees at the same time and it fell strategically, keeping his modesty intact.

The boy rushed over to him after standing abruptly, he looked worried and serious. Am I really someone to worry about? he wondered to himself amidst the pain.

"Are you alright?" The boy asked calmly, still worried. The pain faded slowly. It had really only been a short burst of pain but it had been overwhelming, a headache pressuring all sides of his head inwards at once. He pushed the boy away as he nodded and stumbled to his feet.

"Wait here" the boy exclaimed suddenly, after a brief pause and rushed off. The door closed behind him, and for some reason, the silence and sudden seclusion that he was so used to, felt oppressing this time.

~ * * * * * * ~

"He's awake" Cloud exclaimed as he got within hearing distance of Louis. "uh, I think he needs some clothes." Louis looked a little amused when he noticed Cloud was a little red in the face. He doubted nudity would be a problem in most cases for the battle hardened Soldier, nor had it seemed to be a problem when Sephiroth had been floating in the tank. He stifled a snicker.

"Right, right." Louis said, with a straight face. "Try the cabinet in the hallway. There should be a small selection of things there. I'll come in in a while, I've still got a few calculations to make."

Louis smiled as Cloud jogged back the way he came. Sephiroth's conscious presence seemed to have aged the hero backwards. He seemed strangely energized.

Cloud grabbed a simple black turtleneck and slacks from the cabinet. He would have grabbed everything else in black, as much as a preference it seemed to the older (maybe younger now?) man. He settled for white silk boxers and socks. Strange clothes selection the Doctor had.

He reentered the room to find Sephiroth sitting on the side of the bed, a pillow on his lap. He tossed the man the clothes an turned around to give him privacy. He didn't know why he felt so giddy. It felt like the first time he's met Sephiroth face to face. He'd been a bundle of nerves and energy. He took a few slow breaths trying to calm down. His heartbeat slowed finally to a steady crawl. Then it jumped suddenly again as Sephiroth spoke.

"I'm decent" He said. There seemed to be a little amusement behind it. Oh god he hadn't changed a bit. Cloud had thought he might have when he'd first woken up, and looked so innocently lost. If the word could ever really be applied to the man. It had been hard imagining Sephiroth in anything other than the heavy trench coat, but he looked surprisingly good in such plain clothes.

They stared at each other for a few moments. Sephiroth looking amused, like he always had. And Cloud looking defensive, and a bit lost. Cloud was asking himself 'what now' when Sephiroth voiced his thought exactly.

"What now" He asked. his arms crossed.

"We wait" Cloud responded without thinking about it. He pondered the answer for a while after it came out of his mouth. It seemed pretty sound. He shrugged at Sephiroth. The former Shinra officer scowled, and walked over to the wall to lean against it. Cloud went over and sat on the bed with a squeak of the springs. They waited.

They didn't wait long before Louis walked in. Sephiroth let of a look of pure hatred at the sight of the lab coat before it was quickly replaced by a look of feigned boredom. Cloud caught it, and understood completely. He wanted to nod to the taller man, but he felt like acknowledging to look would be a form of betrayal. Louis stared at them for a minute from the doorway before he walked in.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I'd like you to answer." Louis directed Sephiroth. He got nothing more than a raised eyebrow in return. He sighed at the trouble he knew this 'patient' would be and continued, taking a pen out of his pocket and putting it to the paper on the clip pad getting ready to write

"Do you remember who you are?" he asked tiredly.

"No" Sephiroth answered straightly, as if it were not in the least bit bothersome, and the most normal thing in the world. Cloud looked at him with a snap of his head and a wide eyed expression. He wouldn't have guessed it from the cool demeanor Sephiroth had. Did anything faze him? Cloud cursed himself mentally. Of course things fazed him, he had gone crazy and tried to destroy the world after all.

"Hrm" Louis said as he wrote down a few notes. "Most people would have been a little more bothered about that. I bet you didn't even ask who you were when you realized." Cloud shook his head in conformation.

"I assume if you already know how most people answer, you wouldn't be asking me unless you expected something different, can we get on with it?" Sephiroth said coldly. Louis went wide eyed this time, and nodded, looking down at his notes as he asked the next question.

"How is your muscle control."

"A bit off. I've been noticing a slight delay in mind to movement time. To an unusual degree. It seems as if it will fade in a short while."

"Your vision?"

"Fine"

"Short Term Memory?"

"Fine"

"Long Term?"

"......."

"Right, that answers that.." Louis turned to Cloud. "He needs to regain as much of his memory as possible. I trust you'll take care of that?" Cloud looked at Sephiroth, who returned his look with a smile that was an odd mix of a sneer, grin and smirk. Only Sephiroth could pull that off. Cloud looked at him a little dolefully after that for a moment.

"If he doesn't mind" he drawled sarcastically. Which received another raised eyebrow and a shake of the head.

"Not at all...." he paused, waiting for something.

"Cloud Strife" Louis volunteered helpfully. Cloud watched Sephiroth's response, but if he was hoping for recognition, he was sorely disappointed. Sephiroth didn't as much as bat an eyelid. Cloud frowned a little.

"Right. Strife." He gave a mock bow "I am at your disposal." Cloud sighed enduringly. Sephiroth gave him an evil smile as he glanced up mid bow. Well on the plus side, at least it wasn't a maniacal or insane smile. Cloud just hoped that whole 'snapping' bit was just a fluke gone too far.

"Alright kids" Louis started with a smile. "Take this PHS. Contact me if there are any problems." he eyed Cloud meaningfully. Cloud nodded.

"Well off you go." Louis said as he ushered them out of the lab, handing them a travel pack and who knows what else in a larger pack. Accompanied by a long wrapped object that Cloud recognized immediately as Sephiroths sword. "I suggest you start at the beginning. There are lots of them but I'm sure you'll find the right thread." He closed the door to the cabin no one would ever have suspected to be a lab.

Cloud sighed. Again. Gaining him a curiously amused look from Sephiroth.

"And I suppose you know me?" he asked. Cloud nodded, running his hand through his spiky hair. It looked soft, Sephiroth commented mentally.

"Well?" He said expecting more in the way of an answer.

"Pain in the ass" Cloud mumbled, getting a feline grin out of Sephiroth. He sighed. "Sephiroth." he stated finally. "Just Sephiroth. Nothing more, and most defiantly nothing less." He stepped forward without bothering to look at Sephiroth's response. It was likely he wouldn't like it.

"You ready to go?" He asked as he already started walking. At least they weren't far from that place everything all began. He had no problems going back there but he always felt so dead inside. Understandable when it held nothing but memories that had ended badly.

"Oh, and this is yours." he turned around to toss Sephiroth his sword. Sephiroth caught it easily and instinctively in one hand.

"Rather long isn't it." Sephiroth stated blandly. Cloud just kept walking.

"I always wondered about that myself" he mumbled "Too bad you can't answer when I finally get the chance to ask." He heard the soldier chuckling behind him, matching his stride rather easily.

Louis watched them leave from the window, until they were no more than dots that sank over the horizon. He mussed his hair nervously.

"Well that whole thing was pretty tense." He said softly to himself. He'd been sent his cousin's diary after his death, and Ghast's only regret was letting the Soldier grow up as nothing more than a Shinra tool. If he could have done it all over again, he'd wrote, he would have stolen away with the child. 'And screw higher learning' had been the exact wording. Very uncharacteristic of the man who he'd always felt as close to as any Uncle, much less a distant cousin.

"Well Ghast." he started "I hope this will be a good enough second chance." He turned around, going back to his lab to wrap up loose ends in the work. And go over the data once again.


	4. Chapter Three: Open Eyes

~ * * * * * * ~

It was a weird feeling, walking in front of Sephiroth for once, not walking three steps behind or frantically chasing after him. He was tempted to start running just to see if he would be followed. It was an amusing thought, watching Sephiroth chase after him, yet it was something he doubted he'd ever see. He looked back at Sephiroth who was currently trying to brush his hair out of his face. It was all the same length, not surprising. It was doubtful that cloning would also copy the haircut. It wasn't very well in the genetic code. Cloud sighed. It seemed to be a given he'd be sighing every three minutes. He rooted through his stuff until he found what he was looking for.

"Here" he said, offering the ribbon to Sephiroth. Sephiroth gave it a look, then looked up at Cloud.

"It's pink" He stated. Cloud shrugged, still holding it out. Sephiroth didn't even move to take it.

"Well fuck." Cloud said annoyed "Screw me for trying to be even the least bit helpful." He went to turn around and keep walking, dropping his hand. Sephiroth caught him before he turned around more than halfway. Cloud sucked in a painful breath at the unexpected hand contact. The touch slid away as the ribbon was pulled out of his hand.

"I'll take it" Sephiroth said, sounding more than a little annoyed. He reached around his back gathering his loosely. He tied it right above his shoulders, and some of it still fell forward a bit, but it wasn't anywhere near falling in front of his eyes. He looked at Cloud suspiciously as if daring him to laugh. Cloud didn't say a word, turning around to continue walking.

He still felt a little guilty at whatever the sadistic impulse was that had driven him to hand Sephiroth his only memento of the woman the white-haired companion had killed. He was kind of relieved that it hadn't produced any flash of recognition. It was doubtless insincere reasoning handing it over, him remembering. That and perhaps a little in the way of a sick ironic revenge. He'd never really gotten over Aerith's death. She had been the only one to see through all his masks even before he ever remembered they were there. The closest thing to a friend since Zack.

"I guess it's all the more reason for her to have been killed too" He mumbled to himself out-loud without noticing. Sephiroth looked at him curiously, which he couldn't see because his back was facing the man. Cloud fell deeper into bitter contemplation. Something he'd done a lot over the past decade or so.

They'd both died protecting him, in a way. Zack, because he'd been mako poisoned and a burden, Aerith because of his failure to be able to do anything to save the world. His fault he'd been so easily controlled and handed over the black materia. Cloud popped the dead materia in question out of a slot in his belt. Staring at it as it sat silently in his hand.

"Where are we going" Sephiroth asked from behind. Startling him out of his reverie. Cloud fisted his hand tightly around meteor tightly until his muscles went white.

"A town called Nebelheim." He said a little tightly. He'd almost forgotten he wasn't alone. Something he might've thought impossible, considering the company. "The name strike a bell?" he asked waving a hand offhandedly. He could almost feel the negative head shake in response.

"Not really" Sephiroth said, sounding a little bored. Cloud turned around and looked at him, putting the materia back.

"Do you always have to act so distant from everything?" He demanded, getting frustrated with the whole feeling of being around someone once again. He'd become quite a loner, if he hadn't been one already.

"I don't know" Sephiroth replied softly. Cloud's shoulder's relaxed a bit, the tension dying from the comment. He'd almost forgotten what it meant not to know your own mind. Sephiroth was probably holding a lot back, which was nothing new in that man's case. Maybe he did it to protect himself.

"Does it really matter?" Sephiroth continued mockingly. Cloud tensed again. 'God quit with the sensitive guy/asshole bit, make up your mind and stick with it. You're as human as I am, if not more' He glared at the SOLDIER, who had frozen. Cloud almost groaned as he realized he must have spoken aloud. He turned around and started walking even more quickly. They spent the rest of the trip in silence. Sephiroth seemed to be in a state of heavy contemplation. Cloud could feel by way of the way of the heaviness in the air surrounding them. It was uncomfortable, but safer not to respond to.

~ * * * * * * ~

It may have been a good thing Vincent happened to be out of Nebelheim at the moment, considering who was about to show up. It probably would have made a messy scene.

No, Vincent at the moment was flying high above the eastern continent in the Highwind. He'd been in Nebelheim up until about a month ago. The mystery of what was and wasn't happening had really gotten to him.

"I just couldn't stand doing as Cloud suggested and leaving it alone for now" He said to Cid, for the tenth time since he'd hitched a ride, in the way of explanation. " I think there's more to this, more we can do. I just have to find it" He always started on this whenever they failed to find much more than a dead end.

"Shit Vin" Cid said, cigarette clutched between his lips. "I keep telling you, don't worry about it, dip-shit." he crossed his arms and put his feet up on the pilot console. "I don't really got much to do anyway. It's not like anyone feel's like including the best damn pilot in the world in any of their plans. I've been resorting to petty delivery and messenger jobs just for an excuse to fly the fuck 'somewhere.'" He looked up, blowing out a puff of smoke.

"'Side's, I agree with you on this. Cloud's never been exactly the most forthcoming. That kid needs more help than he'll ever ask for. There's something real fishy about all of this too." He looked over at Vincent, who just gave one quick nod in affirmation.

"I worry about him being alone so much" Vincent said in his quiet voice.

"Well fuck.... ah... as for more clues, the more we look and fail, hell, the more we narrow our searching ground. Don't worry Vin-Vin, kiddo, we'll get this fixed." Cid grinned, ashing his cigarette at the pale man, who gave a weak smile in return.

Vincent supposed that Cid was the only man alive now that would ever call him kiddo knowing everything there was to know about Vincent's age. It was true though. In a lot of ways, though he had quite a few vices, Cid was the more responsible one in his own way. Vincent smiled at the 'older' man. It had been long since anyone treated him so casually.

"Should we tell the other's?" Cid asked suddenly in the silence. Vincent shook his head slowly.

"Not just yet," he replied " I don't want to betray Cloud's trust more than I have to...." He sighed "No, more than I already have."

~ * * * * * * ~

"This the place?" Sephiroth asked as they approached the gates of Nebelheim. He stared up at the sign stretching over the road and then through the town beyond. "It's small" he said. Cloud had been noticing that he often liked to state the obvious.

"It's my hometown, of sorts"

"I wouldn't know" Sephiroth replied. Cloud flinched. He'd said that before, standing in that very same spot, some other sometime. That was before everything. Cloud could almost smell the burning of wood. He breathed out slowly.

"No you wouldn't, would you" He said softly.

"Would I?" Sephiroth asked sincerely. Cloud shook his head in response. These mood changes Sephiroth had were going to be troublesome. They made him drop his guard. And although he wasn't sure why that would be a bad thing, he just knew it would be. The worst part of it was that Sephiroth slid so easily from one kind of role to another without even so much as a skipped beat in between. What kind of life had the man led, to learn that kind of skill until it was ingrained that deep in his personality? He looked over at Sephiroth. He had never really known all too much about him, even then.

He wished he could just ask but even the man himself didn't remember, so Cloud led them on through the town. There was not even one look of recognition his way. No these were all people Shinra had paid to move here and live their lives as if it had been forever to cover up the burning. After all, any mess caused by their 'Experiment' was their responsibility. Cloud glared at anyone who dared to meet his eyes hostilely. Didn't they have any self respect? What about the memory of all those people who had died here...

It wasn't really fair to glare at them. Now it was mostly their parents who had been at fault. Shinra's lie had become truth, fifteen years later. As much truth as anything else really. He settled on ignoring them.

"Did you know that your expression has changed every few seconds we've been in this town?" Sephiroth asked from beside him. "I feel sorry for those poor people that smiled at you." He said amused. Cloud looked over at him, putting on the same affected look of boredom that he often saw Sephiroth use when he wanted to be anywhere but there.

"I see you feel real bad about it." Sephiroth smiled at him, drawing the sentence out exaggeratedly. "Real bad." He continued, going to a grin. Cloud smiled fake brightly at him, dropping into a scowl after he got the point across. Cloud looked forward and refused to be prodded when Sephiroth's infectious laughter followed behind him. His step lightened though, at for once hearing true laughter from the man. He'd never heard it firsthand. And only once from far away. When Zack had been talking to him.

He supposed he should be glad Sephiroth was being so open with him. Had he known everything he was supposed to know, he likely would have treated Cloud with his usual 'holier than thou' act that had kept him so distant from anyone. As far as he could tell, Zack had been his only close companion. Cloud could only have wished for even a kind non-dismissive word from the soldier commander back when he'd joined Shinra.

When they got towards the other side of town, Cloud decided to try the reactor first. It would be bad news if Vincent noticed them coming into the mansion he resided. There was no way the lack of bangs and different clothes would keep the Ex-Turk from knowing exactly who was with him. He'd check the mansion that evening when he left Sephiroth to sleep at the Inn. He never really needed much sleep anyway. Not since his body endurance caught up with the havoc that hat been wreaked on him in those experiments.

They got to the base of the mountains without Sephiroth saying another word, though the amusement had seemed to linger for quite some time. The mountains were as barren as they had always been, which made Cloud think it hadn't been because of the reactor that life had been drained from them. Maybe they had been that way forever.

He took the long way around, because Sephiroth had never seen the shorter path just across the bridge. When they passed under the bridge, Sephiroth looked up.

"Is it too unstable to walk across?" He asked, referring to the bridge. Cloud shook his head and Sephiroth remained silent. Not pursuing further answers at all. There was something about the lack of question from Sephiroth that seemed almost humble, but Cloud shook of the thought before it began. After all wasn't Sephiroth an Egomaniac? True he had never thought so before the incident but....

But that had been just hero worship, right?

Cloud found it a little odd, when they reached the natural mako fall in the mountain cavern, that he ended up explaining the phenomena to Sephiroth, the same way it had once been explained to him. Cloud felt a little detached as he did it. Sephiroth did nothing more than pay attention quietly and nod when Cloud paused to see if anything hadn't been understood.

He didn't even want to imagine how humbling it would be to have someone who had once served under you as a grunt explaining elementary things to you. He felt a pain in his chest as he felt oddly gratified that Sephiroth also didn't remember who he was, and his exalted place among 'mortals.' He didn't think his ego would have survived it. Well maybe he just never wanted the super-human image of the man who had once been his very goal in life to be shattered. Cloud didn't want to explore his reasoning much further. It was bound to be painful.

They finally reached the reactor. The only one that had been left intact. It was so out of the way no one would likely ever bother to re- activate it. It had been decided that come a few years from now, it would be converted into a museum of those final days, being the place where everything started. They really didn't know the half of it. Nor had any of them been a part of it. How could they possibly think to put such a reminder of pain in a town that had known so much grief. They didn't even know the truth. Only bits and pieces of the whole story had been filtered out and glorified.

He had seen a special on it three years back and it looked like events out of a comic book. Sure a lot of miraculous things had happened but most of them had been done by the ones trying to destroy everything. None of the 'heros' they portrayed had any weaknesses and it was all very superficial. It made fun of all the hardships he'd gone through. None of the people he had gone so far to save would ever understand.

Not that his motive had really been to save the world. It had been a lot more complicated than that.

He led Sephiroth through the reactor to the room Jenova had been, The name tag was still there, as was the wires that had been snapped as she'd been pulled out of the wall. Not a thing had changed, except the lack of mako running through the reactor and the whirring of the mechanics.

"Remember anything?" Cloud asked after a moment of nostalgia. Sephiroth shook his head.

"Not really"

"Take your time, maybe if you look around." Cloud said with a motion of his hand. He crossed his arms and walked over to the wall to lean against it. Sephiroth wandered off gracefully. Now that Cloud thought about it, he always had seemed to almost float, yet there was something altogether dark about the way he walked. Cloud exhaled and looked up to the high ceiling. There was a real lack of cobwebs for a place that had been abandoned so long. Small details that were mostly unnoticeable when they were around, but so obvious when they were absent. Nothing lived here, and Cloud suspected nothing ever would. Now outside was a different matter.

Sephiroth came back twenty minutes later, observing Cloud for almost five minutes before the short blond noticed him, snapping out of daydreams. Sephiroth had caught on rather easily that his companion, Cloud Strife, often became lost in though. Heavy thoughts they seemed, weighing down the atmosphere around him. He looked far too young to be so depressing. But Sephiroth had a feeling there was more to this man than the way he looked. He also had a feeling that there had been times he'd misjudged people for similar reasons.

"Well?" Strife asked. Sephiroth looked at him contemplatively for a few moments before answering, pausing to rest an elbow on a hand, and his hand under his chin.

"Nothing" Sephiroth answered "And likely to continue that way no mater how closely I examine things here" he said truthfully. Strife just nodded. Sephiroth waited for the boy to pass him before following behind half a step. Nothing was as it seemed, and he couldn't even judge what 'seemed' because his memory was the equivalent of nothing. Nothing but pure reactions and feelings. He wasn't sure about skills because he didn't even know what he should and shouldn't be able to do.

He had a feeling that he usually never would have agreed so easily to anything, much less following someone for who knows how long, but he really couldn't give himself any reason why not. He did know that when he remembered, he wouldn't have changed the situation if it had happened all over again. Though he didn't know why he knew.

He wanted to demand more answers, as if he had absolute right to know anything he wanted to about any given thing, yet something in his pride resisted. He couldn't stand to come of as less than completely capable. Not that he was even sure what was bad about asking things he had once known before. But he really couldn't do any less than trust his instincts. He didn't have anything else.

~ * * * * * * ~

Cloud signed them into the hotel, and waited until he was absolutely sure that Sephiroth was asleep before sneaking out to the mansion. Sephiroth had been oddly quiet on the way back. Somehow Cloud suspected he'd remembered something but didn't want to say anything for one reason or another. He crept through the mansion until one of the floorboards creaked and he felt silly doing it. There was no reason Vincent shouldn't see him, not just his companion who had been a psychopath bent on planet-wide genocide. He walked calmly to the secret door and then down the stairs, feeling the opposite of how he was acting. He felt like a kid who had been caught stealing from his parent's coin-purse.

He opened the door to Vincent's coffin-room, and sighed in relief as he realized he likely wasn't here. Which made him wonder where he actually was, but he was too busy being grateful to worry about that just yet. He was about to check the library just in case when something sneezed behind him. He almost jumped straight out of his skin.

"A little jumpy?" Sephiroth observed. Cloud gave him a glare. Sephiroth was far from unused to it. "Why would one wait till I was asleep then go sneaking off in the night? Were you planing on ditching me?" He said. Cloud looked at him a little wide eyed. "I see now that you probably never even thought of it which raises a few more questions about your unwilling attitude." He waved a hand as if it was unimportant, in order to specify that the first question was still in effect.

"There's someone who lives here that might not be the happiest person to see you floating around with me" He answered a little grudgingly. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at the word 'float.'

"I take it this was our next destination then?" Cloud nodded. Sephiroth walked past him through the open door of the library. "Nothing rang a bell in the upper portion of the house. Clever trick wall though." he said lightheartedly. It was a little strange coming from Sephiroth, but the situation was weird also. There were bound to be oddities.

Cloud stared at Sephiroth as he wandered around the room. The books still hadn't been re-shelved from the break in. He started to pick up a book when Cloud's voice stopped him.

"I recommend not reading those" He said a little darkly, but not quite much more than a light warning. Sephiroth looked at him, surprised, but he put the book down calmly. He strolled around the room staring at everything with a slight tilt of his head, hand supporting his chin again with his elbow resting on the other hand. He paused abruptly when he stood before the large glass containers of dull greenish fluid. His head tilted down so that his hand rested on his forehead. He slid his head up slightly so he was looking at it through the space between his fingers. His expression was intense.

"Something about those really bothers me" He mumbled "It strikes a discordant note but I can't even begin to put my finger on it." He turned away abruptly, resting his fingers over his mouth as if he couldn't bear to look at them but didn't want to drop the possible remembrance of something... anything.

He didn't even look up as Cloud walked over to a bookshelf and toyed with something there. He did though, look up abruptly with the click sound that followed. A part of the ceiling had opened up it to what seemed like another room. Cloud hopped up, easily catching the ledge and pulling himself out of sight. Sephiroth walked over and looked up from right underneath it. After a while Cloud's head popped into view.

"You coming or not?" He asked. Sephiroth hopped up, grabbed the ledge with one hand, and flipped easily into the room in one smooth motion.

"Show off," he got from Cloud, who seemed like he was trying a little too hard to speak lightly.

"I didn't really think about it" Sephiroth murmured. He hadn't even been sure if he could get up there. The ceiling was pretty high. He stood and walked into the dusty machine filled room, took one look at the table before his face contorted with pain and he slowly dropped to one knee, his hand clutching his head as he closed his eyes to the room.

"What..." he started, then paused for what seemed like an eternity "What is this room..." he finally forced out. Cloud was silent for a long moment. Sephiroth shuddered, and then he finally replied.

"I was always pretty worthless." Cloud started, looking out across the room. "But at the same time I was too useless to even fail well, my body just refused to give out completely, even after I had." Sephiroth looked up at him in pure confusion, temporarily forgetting his overwhelmed feeling.

"This was my hell," He said dully "My hell where I became close, through trauma, to what became my best and only friend in the world." Cloud looked down at Sephiroth who was staring up at him blankly, his hand hovering lost, a few inches from his head. "He was already a good friend to me, to most everyone he thought really deserved it. You were one of those deserving, had been far longer than I had even known him. I don't know what about me he found worthwhile."

"It was what happened here in this room that began what took away everything I had up to that point in life and gave me everything I'd ever wanted, but only when all my reasons for wanting it were gone." He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"It's a scientific lab, Sephiroth, for doing horrendous experiment's on humans. In essence, for turning humans into little more than monsters." Sephiroth looked at Cloud, his expression horrified as Cloud stared back at him, his expression stark and utterly open. For a brief moment, Sephiroth saw straight into the boy's soul and it was overwhelming. Such pure pain and self loathing.

Cloud turned around and jumped down out of the room. Sephiroth heard his footsteps running and then up the stairs. It wasn't until a few minutes later when a drop of water fell on his hand, that he noticed the tears running down his cheeks. Had that force of emotion he felt been Cloud's? The sensation had been so strong, yet the small quivering wail that he felt to the depths of his body wasn't his. Sephiroth dropped his face into his hands, staring through the at the ground as he tried to take slow breaths.

It wasn't until almost an hour later that he followed after Cloud.

~ * * * * * * ~

Cloud reached the hotel, his lungs almost bursting as he finally remembered to breathe when he got there. How had he forgotten himself so much? Showed such a vulnerable moment to Sephiroth. He hadn't been fully prepared to go into the mansion with the tall dark clothed man yet anyway. He sucked in a deep breath holding it for a moment before letting it out in one quick exhale. He tried to contemplate the next course of action, while he knew in the back of his mind he was trying to run away from a problem that just wouldn't disappear on it's own.

"Louis said to find the 'right beginning'... What did he mean by that" Cloud mumbled to himself as he collapsed sitting on the bed. He looked down at the ground between his feet, trying to come to a hard decision. It wasn't that he didn't know where to go, he just really didn't want to go back there. His shoulders collapsed inward finally, in defeat.

"Midgar it is," He sighed, falling into the bed. He was dead asleep of mental exhaustion long before Sephiroth returned.


	5. Chapter Four: Ah, Girl

~ * * * * * * ~

The trip between Nebelheim and Midgar was uneventful, although long. The two avoided each other as much as possible, and since it wasn't very possible traveling together, they retreated mentally. They flung empty mockery at each other every so often when there was a necessity to talk, but other than that, there was little to no progress in their companionship.

They were avoiding the subject of what happened back in the mansion. Sephiroth had no idea who or what he was, although it had been loosely implied that neither he nor Cloud were wholly human. And now there was that other thing. Had he really felt the other's emotions so easily, or had it been some imagined interpretation of something entirely different and coincidental?

He wished his memory would hurry and come back, so he could figure things out. Would it hurt when it happened? Would he regret what he'd been, or what he'd become, or would he regret nothing at all?. There were so many questions that only patience would answer. He knew that he could be a patient person, but he highly suspected it relied on knowing his situation a little better. If he knew exactly what he'd be waiting for, it would likely be no problem.

Cloud seemed all too eager to avoid the subject of his outburst. The boy seemed even more silent and moody than ever. Yet it seemed the more upset he got, the more responsible he tried to be. They were riding Chocobo back, with a third one caring more emergency supplies than they'd ever need unless they got stuck in a rain-forest in the middle of a snowstorm and were surrounded by deadly snakes. Sephiroth smiled at the thought. He would be interested in finding out a lot more about this smaller man, who acted taller than his boots but seemed to think he was worth less than a warped fiddle.

He stared at the back of the fluffy blond head, looking at the spikes swaying slowly in the wind. It looked like the kind of soft you might want in a pillow. The body that held that head up so straight was well toned, thin but far from weak. There were enough fading old scars to tell how hard it had been to get the strength that the boy seemed to value so little.

What secrets did that boy hold that make him despise himself? He was sure that's what that emotion he saw was, without a doubt. And for now he didn't feel like debating the reliability of his reasoning in the event. Cloud hated himself, and Sephiroth was sure that there was a lot more to it than those experiments that had been done to him. More than the loss of the friend he spoke of in the past tense. And Sephiroth wanted to know everything there was that he could.

It wasn't just a general curiosity, he knew. He often tracked down anything and everything he could about something that interested him. Although he had no memories to support the fact, he knew that's what it was. For someone who knew practically nothing about himself, there seemed to be quite a few things he was sure of. He almost chuckled, but was loath to break the safety of the silence.

Cloud himself should also have been contemplating things, but his brain was blessedly void of thought. If Sephiroth spoke, he responded, and he stopped when they needed to, moved forward when they needed to... but he didn't know how to act around the pale haired man anymore. Not after he let that much of his secure mask slip in front of him. Thankfully no questions had been asked, because he didn't think he could have answered them without breaking down again. For that much, he was grateful to the commander.

Through the long silent trip, he prepared himself as best as he could, but some of that ended up just not thinking about anything at all. He'd have to talk to the man eventually. Soon. Before they got to Midgar. He'd bought necessary supplies in Nebelheim, and stopped a few other places to get things that hadn't been available. Because he hadn't wanted to draw too much attention, he bought passage on a cargo ship instead of a passenger ship.

It was one evening when they had stopped to camp one day out from Midgar that he finally spoke to Sephiroth again about something that was necessary, but this time he was putting himself in a situation that could gain questions.

"I bought some scissors to cut the hair out of your face if you won't mind sitting down" he murmured quietly. "It's almost past your feet so if you want I'll trim the rest too." Sephiroth stared at him for a moment with an inscrutable look. Then he nodded walking over to where Cloud was and sitting before him, an arm resting on his knee. Cloud quietly snipped at his bangs first, until they were the exact length he had always remembered them. He started speaking again as he knelt behind Sephiroth to trim the back of it as well.

"Ah," he started, pausing as if he wasn't sure how to phrase his words, "Midgar isn't exactly the safest place to go walking around normally." Sephiroth exhaled a slight sigh, but more of a breath.

"Am I that disliked?" He asked. Cloud sat in silence, pausing in his snipping of Sephiroth's hair. It was almost like liquid silk.

"No... It's a bit more complicated than that" he said hesitantly. Another pause. "You were... well known..." Sephiroth frowned at the were.

"And I'm not anymore?" He asked trying to get some explanation.

"You're thought to be dead." Cloud said plainly. Sephiroth stiffened for a moment but then relaxed again.

"Was I?" He asked softly, knowing the question could be misinterpreted, but pretty sure he knew the answer as well.

"..... Yes," Cloud said calmly as he continued cutting the hair, just touching up on the ends now. He stopped.

"I'm finished." he said. Sephiroth ran his hand through the hair. It no longer felt unnaturally long, and the feeling of his bangs brushing against his cheeks and the line of his jaw was familiar. A little too familiar.

"You knew me well," Sephiroth stated, sure that there wasn't even an inch of mistake in the haircut. Cloud shook his head as the even more familiar face now looked at him.

"No, but I saw you, frequently." he disputed. Sephiroth just looked at him, not arguing. One after the other more pieces appeared to the puzzle, but he wasn't entirely sure they were even part of the same picture.

Cloud walked over to one of the larger packs and grabbed a few folded items. On top of which was a generous length of thin leather. Sephiroth gave him a raised eyebrow.

"It's not pink" Cloud said in response. Sephiroth smiled at him in amusement as he took it. "Tie it up in a high ponytail for now if you will" Sephiroth just complied without otherwise acknowledging the request. Cloud just waited with the folded clothes in his hand. Sephiroth took them and unfolded them to take a look.

It was just a high collared buttoned across wool overcoat, and some white leather gloves. Sephiroth eyed them a bit before putting them on.

"The rest of your clothes aren't a problem" Cloud said, handing Sephiroth one last thing, it was a pair of small round sunglasses. Sephiroth barked with laughter as he put them on. "You have a very distinctive face" Cloud mumbled by way of apology. Sephiroth just grinned at him. Cloud shuddered as he looked at Sephiroth's face, the glasses made his eyes look beady and a bit cruel. It was far creepier than the cat slit eyes he usually had.

"What?" Sephiroth asked with a smile. Cloud shuddered again.

"Don't do that" he complained. "You look like some fucking reaper... or a Tax collector" he finished trailing off and refusing to look at the man. Sephiroth chuckled at the younger looking man.

"I don't know which one's worse" He said, gaining a smile from the boy, before he turned away to grab something else from the pack. More clothes.

"What do you have, a whole wardrobe in there?" Sephiroth asked, still amused by how easy it was to bother the blond just by wearing the tiny sunglasses and smiling. Cloud shook his head annoyed, and started pulling his shirt off. Sephiroth chuckled as Cloud ignored him. He found it very funny that when he had dressed, Cloud had turned away to give him privacy, even though he'd been already stark naked, yet now he was undressing without even the least bit of modesty in front of him. What was the difference between them in the blonde mind?

Sephiroth sat down and objectively watched Strife undress while he thought about the fact that even when Cloud was rude to him, there seemed to be a point he wouldn't go beyond. Out or respect, or something else, Sephiroth didn't know, but he sure wanted to find out. When Cloud had stripped down to his briefs Sephiroth noted absentmindedly that he was even thinner than he looked, though the clothes weren't that baggy, It was a bit of a surprise. There was absolutely no fat visible, and when he paused to stretch before he put the new clothes on, Sephiroth could see his ribs for a brief moment. With a build like that, it had probably been difficult to build any muscle. He wondered if he'd been picked on as a child, and was sure he had as soon as it occurred to him.

Cloud donned a loose orange pullover shirt, with a loose collar, and sleeves that went a little past his wrists over the hands. It cut nearly five years off of his already young looks.

"Are you also considered dead?" Sephiroth asked jokingly. Cloud went a little pale as he was about to slide on some tight looking shorts. His legs lacked hair due to all the mako he'd been subjected to over the years. Sephiroth assumed it was the experiments, which wasn't far off.

"Ah, no, I'm just also pretty well known by a smaller group of people that I'd like to avoid." Sephiroth nodded at him, watching in interest as cloud pulled a fluffy looking hat over his head. His hair fanned out lightly from under it, some curling around his face. He looked like either a very young guy, or a girl.

"I can't tell whether you're a girl or a guy."Sephiroth stated. Cloud looked up at him, dropping his hands from the hat.

"That's kind of the point." He said in response. Sephiroth smiled at him, gaining a shudder, his smile widened into a grin as Cloud glared at him for doing it on purpose.

"Is this a hobby of yours?" He asked. Cloud gave him a sideways look that said 'yeah right.'

"It's something I had to do as a necessity once..." He looked up with distaste at the thought. "Though it wasn't my idea, nor were the clothes." He looked at Sephiroth "The bottom line is that it's nothing anyone would expect me to do by choice. Therefore in essence, it's necessity" He shrugged as he said the last sentence.

"Ah." Sephiroth returned. He tried to imagine Cloud as a girl, but could only see him as a boyish girl, or a girlish boy. And he didn't know the rest of the story so he couldn't begin to picture it. Pity that.

"I have a feeling that I'm going to regret not having a camera." Sephiroth commented. Cloud gave him a sharp glare.

~ * * * * * * ~

Vincent talked to the owner of the gold saucer, finally resorting to the coming to the place where the most unexpected clues had always appeared. He couldn't find any information on anyone who might be interested in in Hojo's research but he wasn't sure he was asking the right questions... or the right people. Cid was waiting in the bar they had on a lower level of the saucer.

"So you have no idea then" He said, the conversation nearing an unsuccessful end. Dio nodded in affirmation.

"Well I'd love to help you guys and all, since you've always showed me a good time, but I wouldn't even know where to look, or what to have an idea about."

"That's exactly my problem," Vincent sighed. "Well thanks anyway."

"Say hi to that blonde haired kid for me will ya?" Dio said as Vincent departed with a nod. He headed to the bar where he was supposed to meet Cid.

He hoped the pilot wasn't plastered. He walked into the dim bar that was playing a light, energetic rock flavored song with a man's voice wailing into the mike. He wouldn't have expected a band with how small this bar was, and there was never all that many customers. As the song ended he heard Cid's loud laughter coming from the bar. He looked over to find Cid sitting at the bar talking with the bartender... and yes, as he feared there were quite a few too many empty cups in front of him. Vincent sighed wearily as he headed over.

"Yo Turk!" Cid bellowed as soon as he saw Vincent. "I got good news for you." He grinned, his cigarette remaining unlit on his lips. Vincent just blinked at him, waiting for the man to continue.

"I was spewing out my troubles to the nice bartender here, and when I got to the part where I describe our spiky head compatriot, he said he saw the guy a few months back." He looked over at the bartender for confirmation. The bartender, with his kind squinted eyes nodded.

"Remembered that one well. Him and some other guy came in. They sat over there, in that booth. He didn't seem too happy that kid. Left with a real serious expression and some sort of envelope in his pocket."

"Other guy?" Vincent asked. The bartender nodded.

"A taller man, probably little over six foot. His features were kinda pretty and he had a whitish, or grey hair. It's pretty dark in here, could'a been somewhere in-between." He went on. Vincent turned a little pale.

"Do you know where they went?" He asked, his voice wavering. The bartender shook his head.

"Couldn't rightly say I do." Cid continued to grin at Vincent.

"See! Didn't I tell you it was good news?" Vincent shook his head at Cid and grabbed his arm starting to drag him out of the bar. "Hey! Hey hey! I gotta pay the man, hold up!" he protested. Vincent waited as Cid walked over to the bartender and dropped a few gil on the bar. He grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry about that man, my friend's pretty impatient to get somewhere with me..... er me somewhere." He laughed. The bartender shook his head that it was no problem, smiling at the two as they both walked out as soon as Cid caught up to Vincent again.

"Sober up" Vincent hissed as they left the bar. Cid just stretched a bit looking over at his friend.

"Don't know what your problem is." he said a little defensively. There was always less profanity from Cid when he was drunk. The alcohol high seemed to be fading in the face of his friend's panic though.

"Problem?" Vincent said throwing up his arms "Oh no problem at all, Tall, silver hair, doesn't strike a note to you at all?"

"A bell," Cid mumbled "And no, there's no striking of any kind here, 'd like to keep it that way too"

"Fuck Cid, This could be really bad. Hojo's stuff is stolen, then Ghast's and then Cloud is seen with a tall guy with silver hair." Vincent was getting entirely to enthusiastic over all this, Cid thought. Maybe he was jealous of Cloud being with another guy? He'd never thought either of them went that way, but Vincent was the only one Cloud had talked to in seven years or so, and Cid had never seen Vincent so angry, or frustrated, or worried, or all three.

"What exactly was it that Ghast and Hojo both worked on together that has to do with Cloud? And a silver haired man?"

"Hell Vincent, they both belonged to Shinra. They work on a lot of things. There's no saying that Cloud being seen with a guy has anything to do with anything else. You've got no connection other than speculation." Cid sighed, lighting his cigarette even though it was a non-smoking area.

"I know what you're trying to suggest, but it's a little farfetched. Sephiroth is dead, we went through a lot of trouble to see to that, and we don't even have any reason to believe that anyone would want to bring him back, or even know to do so. All we know is someone out there stole some stuff that could be connected to Jenova, Sephiroth, a cure for all disease, or even the space program. Not all scientist's sole goal in life is to clone Sephiroth. You could be right, but we have no proof, not even half of one percent without more proof to compliment it. You can't just go around preaching doom and gloom" Cid paused with a sigh. Vincent stared at him with his bright red eyes.

"I know how you feel Vincent, but it's not like there's much more we can do than keep worrying and searching for an answer. You'll have to trust that Cloud can take care of himself at least until we can help him." Cid stopped, dropping his face into his hand as if he had a headache, which he did. Vincent sighed.

"I need to go cool down" He said simply, as he turned and walked off. Cid smiled a little wearily after him. Vincent seemed a little embarrassed at his outburst, but Cid didn't think there was any reason to apologize. They were both frustrated from so many false leads, it was only natural to want a solid lead. Even if you unconsciously started to jump to rocky conclusions to do so.

Cid frowned. He was completely sober now. He was really tempted to head back into the bar to unload a bit more but it probably wasn't a good idea when he needed to watch after Vincent. He headed over to the racing station to put up some bets. One vice was as good as another for stress relief sometimes.

"Hey!" One of the employee's stopped him when he got there "I've seen you here with that one awesome blond haired jockey before. I saw him with some grey haired looking scientist guy...." The exited employee continued as Cid groaned. It would probably be best to keep this from Vincent unless it was absolutely necessary to tell him. He could tell this whole thing would probably be long... and very tiring.

~ * * * * * * ~

"Walk in front of me" Cloud requested as they neared the town "It doesn't really matter where we go first here, but it would probably look weird if I was leading you around." Sephiroth just smiled down at him and pat his shoulder once as he walked up in front of him. He'd stopped getting the shudders now, but he still got some nasty glares and that was enough to stay amused. Strife was such an easy target to pick on, he'd always enjoyed it back when... Sephiroth paused mid-thought. When what? He frowned, he was sure there was something there he'd remembered. It was really bothersome because it would annoy him, but it didn't seem like trying to pummel his brain into recalling the thought would do any good. It was always better to do things naturally, unless you were sure you could force your hand, he added in afterthought.

Cloud was pretty disoriented. He couldn't remember any time when he'd ever seen Sephiroth smile so much. Granted it was specifically to annoy him, and annoy him it did, but....

He blinked slowly. His hair had shifted slightly to a ticklish spot on the side of his face. he brushed it aside but it just hopped right back. Well no use trying to change it. Trying to change thing often made things worse, Cloud thought to himself with a bit of ironic amusement. That thought was a lot deeper than what it had been applied to. He dazed off for quite some time, following after his one time commander, until he realized where they were approaching. It was a small neighborhood in the otherwise big city. And it had been rebuilt after the collapse.

"Hey look it's uncle Cloud" A small voice came from across the street a ways

"Where... oh" another voice joined in. Then the last voice.. well the last voice he wanted to hear at the moment spoke up.

"Cloud? where..." the voice of Tifa spoke. Cloud refused to look for fear of being discovered.

"The one with the sad frowny face. He always has that expression."

"I don't see him."

"Look over theeere" the little girl said, probably pointing. Cloud panicked.

"Sephiroth" He hissed in a whisper "Hide me.... somehow." Sephiroth glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, Cloud could see the glow of his mako green eyes from the side. He waited expectantly.

Sephiroth thought slowly... well fast, but calmly. Hide, in plain site, dressed up as a girl-guy.... something that will make people purposely not look. He'd said no one would expect him to dress up as a girl. So Sephiroth did the first logical thing that came to mind, he turned to Cloud, pushed him up against a building wall, and kissed him.

Cloud didn't push him away, but only because he was too afraid to move.

"There? That's not Cloud, it's a girl and it doesn't even look like him. You shouldn't stare at people while they're... busy like that."

"Kissing you mean." Said what Cloud remembered as Tifa's oldest son.

"Right" Tifa replied. "I know you miss him but just because someone has the same color hair..."

"But it IS Cloud." said the little girl "And the tall guy has real pretty hair, and he's real pretty too. If I were Cloud I wouldn't mind kissing him either."

"What are you saying," Tifa responded with laughter. Cloud winced as they finally continued walking until they were out of hearing. He realized finally that his eyes were still closed tight, and that Sephiroth had stopped kissing him. He opened his eyes to see Sephiroth staring at him.

"What was that for?" he said a little panicked as his adrenaline was still pumping and the fact's had only just settled in.

"What, you wanted me to continue?" Sephiroth teased.

"You know that's not what I meant. Why'd you kiss me" He frowned at Sephiroth. His heart was racing from the near discovery.

"You asked me to" Sephiroth replied simply.

"I did not." Cloud said to him. Sephiroth paused for a moment and looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Hide me, somehow" He said as a reminder. Cloud paled a bit.

"But that's not what I.." Sephiroth interrupted him.

"You asked me to hide you, and gave me no way to do so. I figured I had free license to judge the moment. They would have seen you in a second or two there was no way I could just stand in front of you without being obvious. It wouldn't really be thought of as strange for a guy to be standing in front of a girl kissing her. I made the obvious choice." He looked at Cloud a moment. "We're both guys, it's no big deal." He raised an eyebrow at Cloud, as if waiting for him to come up with a good argument. Cloud struggled a bit with words.

"You're right" He said finally, cooling down "Sorry about overreacting." Sephiroth chuckled.

"Don't worry about it. I know you just wanted it to mean something more." Sephiroth ducked as Cloud threw his pack at his head.


	6. Chapter Five: The Rain

~ * * * * * * ~

Cloud happily skipped along behind Sephiroth, well not really, he just pretended to skip happily, but it had the same effect. He was positive Sephiroth was laughing it up. Cloud could see his mouth turned up at the corners on the side of his face. He wanted to glare at him but he wasn't looking.

He debated his reasoning in deciding to help the man regain his memories. But then he silently cursed, remembering it had been entirely his choice in the first place. If Louis hadn't asked, he would have offered... or demanded to take care of it. When it came to Sephiroth, he often found himself agreeing to things without thinking about it.

When it came down to it, he just couldn't say no to the man. He was probably lucky that Sephiroth never flat out asked him not to kill him. Was it because of some subconscious attempt to be loyal to his rank? No, he'd never been much of a soldier or a grunt. No one tried to pay attention to him at all because he'd been considered pretty hopeless. It had been a surprise that he'd even made it as a grunt after all.

Well he'd been pretty desperate, he pushed down anything and everything in his way during the tests. Some kind soul had seen his determination and wasted a chance on him. He wasn't sure if it would have been better if he had failed or not.

He started to run a hand through his hair and belatedly remembered there was a hat there. He caught it and jammed it back on his head before it fell off, looking over at Sephiroth to see if he'd notice. He had a straight expression on his face. A little too serious maybe. Yup, he'd seen. His shoulders were shaking ever so slightly. The damn prick was laughing. Cloud glared, knowing that Sephiroth would feel it, or at least hoping he would.

They'd been wandering about the city for hours now, and if Cloud hadn't been so used to long treks, he'd have been damn tired. He looked at Sephiroth, who didn't seem tired either. Maybe he really did float across the ground. Cloud tried to fight the ridiculous grin that tried to stretch across his face. Well he knew the Elite wasn't weightless, having carried him that one time, but he'd never measured the distance between the ground and his feet. He was about to break out laughing when Sephiroth stopped suddenly in front of him. Cloud almost tripped on his own feet trying not to run into him.

"Cloud" Sephiroth said suddenly "Who was my father?" He queried a little desperately, it sounded to Cloud. He didn't answer right away.

"I'm not sure," He said, not completely lying, because he'd never really believed it was Hojo. Yet there was no real proof for or against it. Sephiroth looked up into the sky, and Cloud felt a drop of water fall on his face. He looked up as well. When had it gotten so cloudy?

"I was thinking," Sephiroth started as the weather started to drizzle lightly "And it seems that when I'm not thinking about anything in particular, I never forgot anything. I'll find myself thinking things I shouldn't know, yet when I notice that, it stops. Then... I don't even remember most of what I was thinking."

"I highly suspect that perhaps, I haven't truly forgotten anything, just, maybe I don't 'want' to remember." He turned half a step to look over at Cloud, removing the sunglasses for a moment. "Do you have any idea why that might be?" Cloud opened his mouth to say something then paused, looking down at his hands for a moment, then sadly up at Sephiroth.

"I don't think it would do any good for me to say..." He looked away, not being able to meet his companion's gaze. He heard a sigh from Sephiroth.

"Will you take me there?" He asked Cloud. "The place where it all ended?"

Cloud simply nodded, still not looking at the white haired man.

~ * * * * * * ~

Cloud stared across the empty street into what had become the pouring rain as they had walked to the hotel. He was drenched. He pulled off his cap and his hair fluffed up for a moment before it was battered down, soaked by the water. The water felt good pouring down his face, washing away his pain like crying always wanted to but couldn't. He felt numb. He turned his head into the onslaught of rain, lifting his hand to shield his eyes, peering through his outstretched fingers into the silver-lined rain- clouds. He dropped his hand after a few minutes, his head following the direction at a delayed interval.

He realized he didn't want Sephiroth to remember. Not anymore. He didn't want him to know that he'd killed him, that he'd run his sword straight through him. He was afraid to know how he'd react. He finally headed into the room, his loose drenched shirt clinging to him like a see-through second skin, wrinkling at points just enough that he didn't quite look pathetic.

~ * * * * * * ~

Sephiroth waited inside the hotel leaving Cloud outside. He was sure now, that somehow he'd hurt the boy. Without a doubt, something he had done, something he was. And it hurt.. somehow, to know that.

Was he really the cause of all the pain Cloud held inside? Was that why Sephiroth had felt it as close as something that was his own? He sat down on the bed and ran his hand through his hair, pulling the longer hair in front of his face as he let his hand fall to his lap. Wha... he paused before he even finished the thought. He didn't know where it was going anyway.

No, he knew what he did. He remembered, deep inside somewhere, but he couldn't justify finding the memories. Not when he knew that he'd be the only one to blame in the end.

But He'd do it. He'd try to remember for the only one who had cared he was dead. The one who had cried as he'd killed him..... Even after all he'd done... to ruin his life.

He didn't want to remember.

~ * * * * * * ~

She felt tears quietly run down her face as she watched them. They didn't know, he didn't know. Forgiveness, he had gotten that in those final moments when he had chosen to die rather than go on. Yet it wasn't the forgiveness of the lifestream, blood of the planet he needed. And though they'd already forgiven each other, neither of them knew it. No, they both needed to forgive themselves. And they needed each other to do it. The were really, so very alike...

If only she could have done more to help them, could still do more to help them, but no, although the lifestream had somehow agreed that a second chance was allowed, maybe even deserved, it didn't mean they were allowed to do anything about it. She thanked whatever drove the fate of the world that the scientist had found a reason to try and bring him back. She just hoped he would be what Cloud needed to forgive himself, that he could say what Cloud needed to hear, teach him how to live again.

If he had ever really lived at all. She somewhat doubted it.

~ * * * * * * ~

It was too much, Cid thought. He couldn't keep things from Vincent anymore, three people had contacted him via PHS with news that seemed a bit suspicious. Nanaki had commented on the strange fluctuations in the lifestream recently, Barret mentioned that he'd seen someone that looked just like cloud walking with what looked like a grey haired scientist in Correl, and now there was the conversation he was having right now

"It's probably nothing" Tifa had started, and Cid had mentally winced, knowing that it would probably be something. "My kid's thought they saw Cloud the other day, but it turned out to be some girl, with a tall guy." She paused on the PHS. Cid could hear the crackling of silence, broken only by the faint sounds of the bar behind it.

"I know you travel around a lot, and I was wondering if you'd heard anything str-" She trailed off before restarting speaking quickly "I mean, I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but the guy looked at me and his grin was really familiar, and although his hair was tied up it was really long, like.... and it was silver... but Cloud would never have dressed up as a girl again, even if he did I would have remembered how pretty he looked anyway and...." She paused again and sighed.

"I don't know, I guess I'm worrying about nothing, I'm babbling too." She paused for a bit. "And it's not likely Cloud would ever kiss a guy.. right" Tifa said laughing a little nervously. Cid pulled the phone away from his ear and mouthed curse words while he stared at it annoyed. He got back on the phone.

"Cid?" queried her voice.

"You aren't over him yet are you." Cid said, more stating a fact than answering a question. She answered it anyway. After a moment of pause.

"No.. not at all." Cid thought he heard a sob. "But I really do love my husband... and my children. I guess I just, sometimes, wish things could have turned out differently. I feel like," She whispered the next bit, and yup, Cid was sure now that she was crying, though she was trying to hold back. "It was my fault sometimes, like I failed him." Cid sighed slowly. He looked at his watch. There was only a two hour difference where he was, and it was late at night both places.

"Look, Tifa." He started. "Get some sleep. You'll feel better when you get up."

"You're right" Tifa said in a miserable voice. "Sorry Cid, I'll talk to you some other time" She hung up, and Cid stared a the phone.

And of course, Vincent chose that very moment to walk in. Better now than never, Cid supposed, though he was dreading it. Well at least now they had a direction.

"Vincent. We have a lead." He said with a slow sigh, still staring at the phone with a frown. Vincent stared at him, stopping just in the doorway. "We're heading towards Midgar. I'll fill you in on the way, it's not much, but it's too suspicious to ignore."

Vincent nodded.

~ * * * * * * ~

Cloud woke up suddenly to a pounding on the hotel room door. He jolted out of the bed to open the door in nothing but boxers.

"Ah I'm sorry sir" said the hotel attendant "But someone called asking about people that fit your description." The attendant looked very apologetic, which was causing a wave of paranoia to creep up on Cloud.

"And even though I didn't say you were here, I think I blundered by being too surprised. They might be on their way now.... so-" Cloud closed the door in the man's face. He turned around and grabbed only the most important of the luggage, throwing half of it to Sephiroth, who was standing, already dressed and looking curious.

Cloud through on his own clothes, and the packs, grabbing Sephiroth's hand as he pulled the taller man forcefully out of the room

"We have to go" Cloud said breathing a little erratically. Sephiroth didn't resist much, trailing after Cloud, being dragged just slightly by the hold on his hand. Cloud murmured a thanks to the attendant as they lightly ran out into the rain.


	7. Chapter Six: Echoes

~ * * * * * * ~

Every pair of eyes they past felt like it was staring at him. He felt surrounded, panicking, where could he go? Where could they not follow? They who hunted him in his dreams, they who laughed when he fell, they who were waiting, just waiting for an opportunity to reach out and grab him.

So he kept running. Keep running, and running, his only small comfort the silent presence following calmly behind him, and the warmth of it's hand. Someone bumped into him, and he jumped backwards a foot, reaching for his sword. The hand he held tightened, whispering something to him as it pulled him out of the way of the culprit.

"Keep running" He told Cloud softly. Cloud obliged

Sephiroth could tell Cloud was having a panic attack. Or a nervous breakdown. They were both really very similar things. He'd seen it happen before, and he knew how to deal with it safely, to an extent. It was best to humor them as much as you could, because they'd run out of steam as soon as the adrenaline ran out, and they felt safe.

That wasn't to say that you should let them do whatever they wanted to. No it was best to give them suggestions that would tie into what they thought they needed so they wouldn't fight back. Don't appear the enemy. Don't act aggressive. Don't let your nervousness be felt. He wasn't at the moment but he remembered someone who had told him all this before.

It was that oh so familiar voice that echoed in all the memories he could barely remember. Had it been Cloud? No, the voice was a bit harsher, louder, more animated. Taller.

What was it. What was the image he couldn't grasp. It felt like someone was hiding deep in the shadows of his mind, only illuminated at moments by the dim shine of a passing thought. Nothing near enough to even shed light on the entire silhouette, much less the details.

Cloud turned around a bend sharply dragging Sephiroth behind him. Sephiroth almost tripped as his concentration was interrupted by what he felt could have been recognition. He'd done this before. Ran down a street, maybe even this exact one, dragged by someone. That same someone. Was it Cloud then? No he'd already debated that.

Why then did clues always start and end on him. Not directly on him per-say, but slightly above, below, or otherwise very close. What was Cloud's connection to the memories, or what connection did they have to Cloud?

It continued to be familiar as Cloud stopped, looking behind to see if Sephiroth was okay, to see if maybe he'd turned too fast. There was a quick flash of a grin, and for a second, two images overlapped each other. Who was the other man?

Cloud put his hand to the back of his head sheepishly before the short sense of remembrance faded when Cloud looked around in paranoia again before starting in a run.

Alright, they weren't the same person, then.... Why, did they sometimes move exactly the same, to what he knew was the exact degree and angle of the head tilt. How were they related, and why did he think that whatever it was, it was out of his range of memories.

Why when memories ran away from him, when it came to Cloud, instead of the memories retreating did he feel like they'd never even been there to begin with.

"Who are you.." he murmured to Cloud as he ran, knowing he wouldn't hear him. Not that he truly even thought he could have answered the question. He didn't think Cloud even knew.

And then they stopped running. Cloud was panting heavily, not from the running itself, but from the exertion of his mind moving at super high speeds of paranoia. Of analyzing quickly every single being or insect that came into his sphere of awareness. His heart was thudding heavily in his ribcage, a little painfully.

"You okay?" He said breathily to Sephiroth, leaning over and bracing himself on his legs with his arms. He glanced over at Sephiroth with a grin. That grin. The one that didn't belong to Cloud, "We finally got away far enough huh?" He laughed a little. Not any laugh he'd heard from Cloud. Cloud seemed to realize it too, subconsciously.

He shook it of as if some odd blanket had fallen over him. He stood straight again at that moment, back into that slight defensive 'if I stand this way people won't bother me' stance. Sephiroth doubted that he'd even remember what he'd said a second before. He tested it.

"You okay?" He asked calmly. 'That's what I asked you' said the voice in his head that he couldn't place. Cloud just nodded instead, proving Sephiroth's point.

Who are you, Cloud. Who is the real you. He held back a sigh, not wanting to leave Cloud wondering what he was thinking about. Well he might wonder anyway, but he didn't want to give him a reason to.

He hoped he'd remember soon. Remembering this seemed more important than the rest of it at the moment. Important to figuring out Cloud, to finding Cloud maybe. He was there, somewhere among all the contradictions, but he was lost.

Why was it that Sephiroth felt he needed to find him? Guilt? Gratitude? Just plain old curiosity? No, something else. He didn't know what it was for sure, but he felt an almost desperate need to find the secret behind the man standing before him. Cloud held out his hand again. Sephiroth took it willingly.

He had a direction he wanted to go, and Cloud was offering it. There was no reason he shouldn't take it. Not when it was given so innocently. He just hoped he wouldn't hurt him again.

They continued running. This time note quite so desperately. People with umbrella's peered at them as they ran unprotected through the still pouring rain.

'Who are you' Sephiroth thought once again, this time he thought he heard that voice reply, 'Find him, Sephiroth, I can't help him anymore.' It was a whisper and he almost just shook it off, but it stuck with him as they splashed through the thin layer of water coating the dirty street.

~ * * * * * * ~

Cid exhaled heavily. He was disregarding a no smoking zone again, but he didn't care, he deserved it. They checked out the hotel that he'd gotten the stuttering and silence from. Yeah, they'd been here. Well Cloud had. They still hadn't really identified who he'd been with. They'd left a lot of baggage behind. Vincent was going through it then.

"Cid..." He said quietly, startling him out of his thoughts. He almost jumped. He cursed and ground out his cigarette before he was caught smoking it. Vincent looked up at him then, holding out an object that Cid had to walk over and take from him to identify.

Hair, about three or so feet of it, silver, and tied together by a pink ribbon.

"Is that.. Aerith's" Cid asked a little incredulously. Vincent nodded.

"He carries Holy and Meteor around with him too." Vincent said, mumbling in addition "I wonder if he feels he needs to protect them."

"But the hair..." he trailed off

"It's his" Vincent stated, sure of the fact.

"I can you be so sure, I mean..." Cid ground his hand, frustrated, through his hair, resting them on his temples afterwards. "He'd dead." Cid finished. Even though he knew Vincent was right. Vincent must have heard the defeat in his voice because he said nothing more to try and prove it.

"We need to find the person who brought him back"

"Are you sure he ever died?" Cid said a bit sarcastically gaining a 'look' from Vincent. Damn was that a glare. "Alright, alright I'll drop it, but I don't like this."

"You're the one who said it" Vincent smiled a little coldly "Cloud can take care of himself"

"Man, that' a little harsh." he sighed "Fuck this, I've done my years. Grargh" He scratched his head frantically in frustration, then stopped. "If only Cloud weren't involved, if only it were someone else, someone I didn't know, I could just ignore it."

"Could you really?" said Vincent, ever the fucking voice of reason. Of course not. But he didn't want to admit it so he just glared at him. Then flipped him off humorlessly, lighting another cigarette. No smoking sign be damned.

"Should we tell anyone else?" Vincent asked. Cid looked at him, flicking his lighter closed.

"Not Tifa, that's for sure." He thought for a moment before shaking his head. "It wouldn't really help any. It would just worry more people."

"Do you know where he might go?" Cid asked after a pause. Vincent shook his head. "Shit, what the hell does he think he's doing, wandering around with that psychopath..." He frowned heavily.

"I think he's trying to be forgiven" Vincent said a little sadly, quietly. Cid spouted out a string of curse word's that would bruise a sailor's ears.

"For what? Saving the fucking world?" He said, his voice raising to an almost yell. Vincent looked away.

"It's a little more, complicated than that" Vincent said. Cid stared at him for a moment.

"You speak as if you know."

"He could have been my son" Vincent whispered, a little forlornly.

"Is he?" Cid asked seriously. Vincent shook his head no, then shrugged.

"It doesn't matter either way. I couldn't save her, what could I possibly do for him?" He said it little too coldly, and Cid knew, then, that he hadn't been forgiven by himself yet. Maybe never would. Alright. He knew why Vincent wanted forgiveness then, but Cloud? He was younger than Sephiroth, they couldn't be anything so soap opera like as brothers or anything. And that whole clone thing had been a lie.

"So Cloud then....?" he asked finally not knowing where to start.

"I'm really not sure, I don't know him too well." Vincent replied.

"But I thought you two-" Cid blurted out stupidly, turning red as he realized what had slipped out of his mouth. Vincent gave him a real funny look then.

"I think I'll just ignore that insinuation. No offense to Cloud or anything but it's a bit disturbing." Vincent replied to the words Cid hadn't really wanted a reply to. somehow he felt a bit relieved. Probably because it meant that Vincent was just genuinely worried about a friend. Cid wouldn't feel like he had to tiptoe around the subject of Cloud with Vincent.

"So we should find the doc huh." Cid said with a sigh. Vincent nodded.

"I think I know where we should start now..." he grinned a little apologetically. "I heard some things at the Gold Saucer, he might frequent there."

~ * * * * * * ~

Conveniently for them, he was there when they arrived. They didn't know he was there, but it didn't take a very long time of asking questions to regulars before someone pointed him out. They found him in Wonder Square, playing the snow-boarding game, and surprisingly, racking up points. Not that it wasn't strange enough already.

"Aren't you a little old to be doing that?" Cid asked the man after he'd finished the course. The tall man looked over his shoulder and Cid was momentarily surprised at his age. He couldn't be any older than thirty, at the most. Luckily it was Vincent that voiced his thought.

"You're a little younger than I'd expected' said the pale man. The scientist in question, who wasn't dressed like one at all at the moment raised an eyebrow as he glanced over his shoulder at them.

"You're one to talk, you're a lot older than you look aren't you." Vincent turned a little red with embarrassment. "Don't worry though, I'm plenty old enough to have understood what was going on back then, perhaps even more than you two" Cid frowned at the man.

"And you are?" Cid asked.

"Oh I thought you knew. I'm Louis. I've got a name-tag but it's on my other coat." He smiled at them, at it was a little creepy, that smile. Not in an 'I'm going to do something devious' way, but in a 'why is this guy so nice looking' way.

"Cut the pleasantries, you know what we're here for right?

"Well you're the one who asked in the first place. I don't like talking on an empty stomach though. Got any ideas?" He said, and the next moment later, they found themselves at a restaurant specializing in barbecue.

"So you guys are Avalanche huh." He said once they'd ordered their meal, and the waitress brought some fresh bread. He started to cut a piece and butter it. "You do know that you guys are paying right? I just spent all my money on the reason you're here." Cid was starting to pop a vein. What was with this guy? Vincent, the more calm of the two in this situation spoke up this time.

"We'll pay, if you fill us in on what we want to know." Louis paused mid-butter.

"I'll do what I can." He replied a bit primly. Cid wanted to grab Vincent's gun and shoot him. He grabbed a chunk of the bread that hadn't been cut yet instead and bit into it in frustration, Louis looked at him as if he'd been a grade-schooler whose candy was just stolen.

"Look," Louis said with a sigh, butter knife still in hand, "I know you guys mean well and all, but it would be better if you'd just leave those two alone"

"Oh you'd like that wouldn't you" Cid said angrily "If the only other people who had any idea what you were trying to do jush murglmnb-" Vincent put his hand over Cid's mouth, muffling him.

"Why?" He asked the Scientist "To what purpose should we let them alone?"

"Well" Louis started, rubbing the side of his head as he placed the buttered warm piece of bread down. "It's complicated"

"We've got a whole meal of time to spare, and plenty of time afterwards." Vincent replied, dropping his hand from Cid's mouth as the pilot finally started to quiet down. Cid resorted to crossing his arms and glaring.

"Alright" Louis seemed to give in. " There isn't all that much to it but-" He paused in thought to take a bite of his bread. "If you tear them apart it'll just cause problems."

"I still haven't heard an explanation yet." Vincent stated "Why are you hesitating"

"I'm not sure you'll even care about my reasoning." Louis said seriously, and Cid wondered if all the jokes and attitude were just some sort of defensive act.

"Try us" Vincent said a bit tersely. Damn, Cid thought, he must be just as annoyed as I am, he's probably just better at holding it in. Louis winced at the tone but nodded.

"Well." He sighed "I'll start this way." Another pause "You all hate the white haired guy right."

"Damn right we -oof" Cid was cut off by an elbow to the stomach.

"We aren't exactly on pleasant terms with him if that's what you want to know" Vincent said a bit more tactfully.

"That's kind of my point. What chance will he have if all the sudden people come at him with extreme prejudice, and he has no idea why?"

"No idea?" Cid asked, rubbing his sore gut. Louis nodded.

"He doesn't remember anything. Didn't," Louis corrected himself. "I'm not sure of how things are going now." Vincent looked a little concerned.

"So you left our buddy with a powder keg ready to blow and go psycho again as soon as he remembers anything?" Cid said exasperated, waving his arms a bit. Louis turned a bit pale but shook his head.

"I don't think that'll be the case." Cid pounded his hand on the table, rattling the silverware and gaining a few looks from the other patrons

"What makes you so sure?!"

"Cloud" Vincent said softy, Cid looked at him a bit confused. "You're placing all your bet's on him aren't you, that he'll change Sephiroth"

"Or keep him the same rather," Louis said with a sigh. "He wasn't always crazy you know. You have no idea what they did to him."

"I think I do" Vincent said quietly, flexing his left arm, the metal joints creaking at the motion. Louis looked at him for a while and nodded.

"You might very well." He smiled grimly "But no one knows even close to as well as Cloud does. He may have even gone through twice as much... no I'm sure he did. I read the reports."

"What does all this have to do with anything at all" Cid said impatiently. Vincent gave him a sharp look. Cid didn't back down. He was sick of being left out of the conversation and ignored.

"Well I suppose you have a right to know" Louis said, leaning back as the waitress placed his food in front of him. He picked up a fork. "I think Cloud's the only person left on this world who can help him."

"Why does he even need help?" Cid asked, still not understanding "Why even bother to bring him back?" He was frustrated with how those two were talking as if it had already been explained, the doctor's reasoning. Vincent shook his head at Cid, but Cid gave him a sharp glare. "No I want to know, and I want to know now!" Louis pulled something out of his pocket and threw it on the table.

"You want to know? Well there it is, my reason. I hope you don't regret it." he said with annoyance. Vincent's eyed widened.

"Ghast's?" He queried with a whisper. Louis looked at him a little surprised. Who was this man anyway, that he knew so much. He knew a lot about the rest of Avalanche, but Vincent Valentine's file had always been blank. Cid gave him a sharp look and grabbed the diary.

"December 19," Cid started, reading out-loud. "I visited him today. They haven't let me see him very often since they took me off his case, and with the cetra child to look after now, it's difficult to find time." Cid looked up at Vincent who had reached the same conclusion. This was when Aerith had been with them.

"I brought her with me. But he wasn't very happy. I was hoping to see that smile I'd remembered. The one I was afraid was fading. It was innocence, and his eyes were so hopeful and bright. It's gone now. Maybe forever. I regret this experiment the most. I know I write this everyday but I can't help it."

"He wouldn't talk to me anymore. I heard later from a woman working in that division that this was the first time Hojo had let him out of the lab in two months. He's only five years old, what is Hojo trying to do?" Cid trailed off from reading. He read on silently for a moment before he looked up. He closed the diary and dropped it on the table

"Five year... Fuck." he sighed "I think I can understand your reasoning a bit better now, but there's more to it than that, isn't there" he said calmly. Louis looked away.

"I am a scientist. Of course there's more to it." He spoke. 'I couldn't resist the challenge. My motive's aren't all pure." He looked at them seriously "But I have no intention of continuing Hojo's research. And I really do think of Sephiroth as a person, not a number, and Experiment. So I gave him the person who cares the most." He pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"Did you know that Cloud visited that grave over three hundred times in just the last five years? I don't even have a clue if it was more or less before that. It seems he's got some scars to heal too. Deep ones." He put his glasses back on. "If my intentions had been anything less than they were, Cloud would have taken Sephiroth from me by force. I could see it in his eyes. He doesn't want that SOLDIER to suffer... anymore." He sat back, staring at his food quietly.

"Why anyone would care about an enemy so much, I really don't know..."

From Cid and Vincent also, there was nothing but silence.

~ * * * * * * ~

"I'm dreaming, aren't I?" he murmured to himself, staring down a row of endless mirrors, all floating above the emptiness around him. He stared into one of the mirrors and it reflected endlessly, smaller and smaller. One reflection down the line was different. Cloud. It walked down that same reflection as Sephiroth traveled down the hall. One of the mirror's it walked by, it changed. Black hair, taller, and that smile.

Sephiroth stopped. And the mirror's were gone and it was just the two of them. He looked at the other man for a long time.

"..Zack" He finally said. Zack nodded at him, falling into a cross legged siting position with a fluid moment, leaning on an arm.

"Took you long enough. Though it has been a while." His voice was echoing, and sounded distorted.

"What happened to you?" Sephiroth asked, looking down at Zack. He shrugged, the shrug Cloud often did.

"You'll find out soon enough." He replied "It's not very important. And I don't have enough time to say what I need to." Sephiroth didn't respond. He didn't want to waste the other's time.

"Always so efficient, Commander" Zack said with a laugh. He sighed waving his hand to the side a bit, and for a moment his brown eyes looked blue. "Find him for me Sephiroth. Cloud, I cant reach him anymore."

"Why me?" Sephiroth asked simply, except it wasn't that simple. There was a lot more meaning behind that one question. A lot of meaning Zack wasn't going to answer, so he shook his head.

"It isn't important, except that you're the only one who can do it. Just trust me on this, you always did before." Zack smiled a little painfully and for a moment the image fractured and recollected.

"Why can't I tell you two apart when I try to remember?" He asked, a little sadly. Only in his own mind would he show ever show even that much pain outwardly. Zack looked a little stricken.

"It's not your fault!" He said quickly "it's because... we're both there." He smiled sheepishly at the confused look Sephiroth displayed.

"When I... Died.." he started "I just wanted to protect him. Lend him my strength I guess. He was so weak, might have died. He didn't seem to want to go on....." He trailed off for a moment. "But something went wrong, and he started living my thoughts, my life."

"I tried to tell him, show him the truth. Then you happened again and well..." he turned around and skipped a pebble over the nothing that stretched out around them. It rippled where it bounced, "One thing led to another, and everything went wrong." There was silence between them for quite some moments. Then Zack started to sink into the nonexistent ground.

"I'll be gone for good soon" He said, his voice growing quieter "And at that time, Cloud will be more lost than ever. Take care of him for me will you? Don't let anyone touch him, hurt him. Not even himself, not even you. This is the only favor I'll ask of you, ever." He reached out a hand to Sephiroth, as if to hand him something and Sephiroth tried to grab it. There was a flash of light before he could reach him though, and then everything went black.

He opened his eyes to the sun filtering through the clouds. The rain had passed, and they were quite some ways out of Midgar. He looked over to where Cloud was sleeping. Cloud was breathing a little deeply and labored. He was sweating lightly. He must be having a nightmare, Sephiroth though. He walked over and pulled the blankets up higher around the boy.

He looked across the plains over to the blue blur of the sea on the horizon. He looked down to see Cloud sleeping a little more peacefully, and he looked so young. Younger than Sephiroth knew he was. He smiled lightly

"Was I ever so innocent..." he mumbled quietly to the wind that tickled through his hair softly. He shook his head.

"Zack, what should I do." He asked as he looked up closing his eyes lightly against the glare of the sun. It felt warm. He couldn't remember if he'd ever just stood there to appreciate anything. His mind whispered of times he had. It was one of the small comforts that had never been taken away from him.

Would he learn what it was like to truly live this time? Would he come to understand what it was like to care? To hold someone close and protect them? He looked down at Cloud. Maybe. At least he'd try to learn. He'd never had someone to take care of before.


	8. Chapter Seven: Soul

~ * * * * * * ~

Cloud felt lost. It wasn't anything particularly new, the events of the last few days being a blur. Even in his most lucid moments, he would notice odd things. There'd been times where he was out for months, or rather, he'd forgotten months at a time. Another reason he had tried so hard to sever all ties with the people around him. He wasn't always positive what he was capable of.

And now that Sephiroth was back, he felt at moments that he didn't have to try to be so strong. Yet on the other hand, there was a feeling of responsibility to the man he had once destroyed. He couldn't back down but something inside him just wanted to give in, to let go.

He had always been beneath someone, most of his life. Beneath Tifa, beneath Zack, and he'd sure as hell always been beneath Sephiroth. It hadn't been since he'd lost his identity that he could understand the meaning of truly protecting someone, yet since that transition, he'd never been able to stop.

He felt if even a single fracture appeared in his guard, he would go down. Maybe it had been a role not suited to him, savior, protector. It was too much once he realized that he'd never changed, that he had never really been anything but a small boy with a dream far larger than his feeble heart could fulfill. Yet he was too weak to let go. Too much of a failure to even just let go and be himself again. A coward.

Identity. That which determines your value, your face, your unique factor. It was a blank in Cloud's mind. He was experienced enough to know that he had likely missed the crucial chance to become his own person while he was trying to follow other people's footsteps, and stepping one step too short.

And by the time he had started to develop the urge to tread his own path, besides his goals, instead of behind them, it was too late. There was so much time spent day after day in that lab. How had Sephiroth done it? Gained an Identity. Was it because he was just better?

Yes... no... Cloud wasn't sure. He wanted to think that Sephiroth was just a better person, that he was immortal, untouchable. A voice always whispered that he knew better, but he didn't he'd never known better, never would. Sephiroth would always excel in anything he did. He never even lost it though he couldn't remember anything.

He couldn't understand where he'd gotten those memories to support his belief that Zack's life had been him. After the fact it had felt like the ultimate betrayal of a friend. All Cloud could do was go on. His soulless body would drag him forward no matter the odds, just because he hadn't suffered enough to pay for his endless transgressions.

Cloud remembered moments where he'd forgotten even his own name and it had near drove him crazy. But that voice of reason would always whisper something about Cloud being in a more volatile situation, that Sephiroth had learned to protect himself early on, physically and emotionally.

It was things like this that caused the most confusion to Cloud. He was never that sure of himself, he'd never argued with his conscience. Or the belief that he was worthless. He'd only gone on, most times because he couldn't stand the thought of just letting go. The unknown scared him.

But that voice argued with him less and less. That voice that had always whispered that his memories were false during the beginning of the Avalanche days.

Whenever he was lost. He'd always thought, 'what would Zack do' and somewhere inside him, an answer wold come, and always in first person. This was the voice that had dragged him to midgar by sheer determination those mako poisoned days after Zack died. Sometimes it made sense to think that Zack was watching over him.

But that wasn't possible. Zack was gone, and it had been all Cloud's fault. He wasn't surprised when the usual 'that's not true' failed to break through the silence. All he heard nowadays, was silence.

She had always known, had seen him for the pretender he was, had seen through the exterior that was fabricated by deserved trauma. Maybe that had been the true reason he'd felt so lost when she died. Aerith had been the only person at all, including himself, that had ever bothered to look for the real him.

It wasn't so bad this time though, his disorientation. He remembered fuzzy bits and pieces of the last couple of days. That they were being hunted, that they were running. And he remembered what Sephiroth had said, about wanting to know, about wanting to go where it had ended.

It was a little painful to Cloud, a little frightening to think of standing in that cavern in the crater once more with the person he'd battled there. Alive, warm, breathing, capable of bleeding. He knew the truth. He'd never really defeated Sephiroth. Sephiroth had wanted to die, in that last moment. And Cloud, the fool that he was, had never been able to deny him anything.

Not even death.

He had to be strong, to uphold the image that was Zack. He couldn't be weak, because by association, it would be like pronouncing Zack the same. Shit. He sighed, running a hand through his rebellious hair. What would Zack have done now.

~ * * * * * * ~

Sephiroth was quiet. That dream had revealed a lot more to him than he would have imagined possible from a dream. Yes, even him, the man who had heard voices in almost any memory he could conjure. The voices of the planet. He couldn't dare disregard that dream.

How could he do it? Save the boy that had seemed to be most important to the only friend Sephiroth had back then? He knew it had been his only friend, not because he remembered a lack of friends, but because when he remembered Zack, one of the first things that had come to mind was that. Only friend.

Sephiroth didn't think he was that special. Sure he was capable of doing any physical task conceivable, of destroying any boundary erected by man or nature, yes some people had considered him flawless. But there were still a lot of holes in his psyche. And how could he try to save the mind of one mere mortal, without all his resources accessible?

He would keep a promise to a friend. He'd never broken one before. Granted he'd never made promises, but he could bet there weren't many people with a record of promises that flawless, except for children.

He didn't even know where to start though. So he started, by trying to look at Cloud, really look at him.

As he had assessed on occasioned before, his build was slim, his hair looked softer than silk and finer than iced crystals of breath on a window in winter. His face was round and smooth, not overly masculine, but far from purely feminine. He looked like a young teen, somewhere directly in the middle of adult and adolescent. There was a steel to his muscles. A sinewy strength and a tenseness he carried even when he looked relaxed.

He looked taller than he was. His eyes were bottomless, with pain and experience. Yet one would find it impossible to truly sink in them. Cloud was far too distant. There was an air about him that said 'don't touch.' A wall surrounding him that said 'nothing here for you.' Something that might chase away even the closest person. There was something that almost caused pain around him. It was hard to even think about getting close to him unless you did it objectively. Sephiroth wasn't sure what it was.

But he was sure he wasn't looking hard enough. All of this he'd seen before. Outward appearance, with a little dipping here and there for depth. If it had been superficial it wouldn't have been believable. Sephiroth wasn't sure what it was, but Cloud had mastered some sort of defense that kept one from wanting to look too close in a way that seemed voluntary.

Would he have noticed it at all if he hadn't a reason to look? Sephiroth doubted even he would have. Who are you Cloud? What's beyond that barrier. Sephiroth tried to look closer.

If you watched him long enough he'd sometimes twitch nervously. Sephiroth wasn't sure if it was because he was watching, or if Cloud did it often anyway. It might have been a bit of both. The tenseness Cloud had was paranoia, Sephiroth decided after a bit of observation. He seemed to have a fear that people would look through him and see him right away. What was there to be so afraid of? He wondered. What hid there...

He looked like he was about to snap any moment. Sephiroth frowned. That couldn't be at all healthy. It was hard to notice because of the 'relaxed yet ready' look that Cloud had affected. If he didn't know as much about the performance of the human body, there was no way he could have guessed at it.

Sephiroth felt like he was gong in circles, but he didn't want to stop because he felt like he was getting closer to somewhere. But he had to look away when Cloud suddenly tensed up and looked at him. It seemed he'd looked away in time, because he heard a sigh from Cloud.

He looked over to meet the searching gaze of the boy. It was hard to remember sometimes he had to be at least thirty. Yet his eyes defiantly displayed his age, if not a lot older. For a moment Sephiroth thought Cloud had let his guard down, until he realized that though he was almost drowning in his serious gaze, he couldn't even read anything from Clouds eyes. Why did he need so many walls.

He could only hope for something like what happened back at that lab to happen again, so he could even attempt to reach Cloud. He'd be ready then. Even though he didn't want to see him in so much pain.

Was it just because he started to feel it a bit himself? Or... when had he started to care. Was it just the promise? No. There was some emotion for this boy. Some sense of... responsibility?

He sighed and smirked at Cloud, not wanting him to be disturbed by sudden seriousness. Cloud seemed to have found what he'd been expecting in that smile because he broke the eye contact and looked away with a slight huff.

~ * * * * * * ~

"This belongs to your friend right?" Sephiroth asked a little incredulously. "And he won't mind if you take it without asking?" He disbelieved as he stared at the obviously well, worn but well cared for plane. Sherra, the woman that Cloud had talked to in the house had only promised that she wouldn't say anything until after they left. But she wouldn't stop them, and he supposed that was the important part.

"It's not that he won't mind my not asking, it's that I won't mind taking it." Cloud replied absolutely seriously. Sephiroth looked at him wondering if he was joking sarcastically, he wasn't he was actually serious.

Was this the way the real Cloud though? Or was it a weird blend of him, Zack, and whatever... He'd find out somehow, one way or another.

"Do you know how to fly it?" Cloud looked up at him, his face still serious. There must be aot on his mind, Sephiroth figured, He wasn't being as defensive as usual. Just distant. Very distant.

"Not really" Cloud said. Sephiroth's eye twitched a little.

"So maybe you shouldn't be flying it?

"I don't have any other way of reaching the northern continent."

"Did you ever think to ask me if I could fly it?" He queried a little accusingly.

"...ah..." Cloud scratched the back of his head, almost embarrassed, but still a little detached. "I didn't think you'd remember if you even could."

"Valid reason I guess.' He said gaging Cloud's lack of reaction. Where had he retreated to and why? "It's not important anyway, I can't pilot it."

"It shouldn't be a problem, if I do it. " Cloud said "Cid showed me a few basics. We can get to where we're going. Probably."

"Alright." Sephiroth said, he had been planing on trusting Cloud anyway. He didn't think the blond would really try anything that might be more dangerous than they could handle.

"Sorry Cid," Cloud mumbled under his breath as they got the plane started.

~ * * * * * * ~

Cid sneezed. They hadn't found Cloud and it had been months. They could cover ground a lot easier in the Highwind than anyone walking or on Chocobo. Well cover air at least, and that took a lot less time. Maybe it was just coincidence that they'd missed them so many times, but Cid didn't think so. Cloud was alresdy on the lookout for people following him.

Though Cid wasn't sure why he was running. What was left on this planet that Cloud couldn't face? His friends? Why was he avoiding them, Was he avoiding them?

The PHS rang then, and Cid hoped it was news on Cloud. It was getting frustrating, getting a clue, then having absolutely nothing for months. Couldn't there be some consistent advancement?

"Cid here" he said picking up the PHS. There was a pause of silence on the other line. "Sherra?" Cid asked.

"How can you always tell when it's me?" She asked quietly from the other line. If only she wasn't always so... so... damn. He just wished she'd place more value on herself once and a while. He was surrounded by people who thought they were worthless. Vincent, Sherra... and now Cloud.

"How long have I known you woman. Don't ask." Cid sighed in exasperation. "What's up?"

"I thought you might want to know," She started calmly pausing for a moment.

"Know what, wench? Speak up already." Cid interrupted what he knew would turn out being a long silence.

"Cloud and Sephiroth took off with your plane." She finished plainly. It never ceased to amaze Cid how cool headed she spoke no matter what. He couldn't read her at all. The only thing he knew is that she was rather easy to throw herself at death. He'd seen that firsthand.

"They what!" Cid exploded, out of habit more than anything else. There was something about Sherra's collected and scientific manner of speaking that set him off even when he wasn't particularly angry. "What, did you just let them walk out and take it without saying anything?" He asked a feeling little incredulous.

"I couldn't have stopped them." she replied logically. Stupid woman, she had been right about that tank too. He didn't regret not having her death on his conscience, just her stubbornness for details. He wished she was more incompetent sometimes. He was silent this time though, not having much to say in response. Wait, did either of them know how to fly? He was about to say something that would have come off as particularly cross when she spoke again.

"They said something about heading to the northern continent. If you go now you could probably catch up with them just as they got there." Cid did some mental calculations. Yes, that was about right. He wasn't very close right now, but the Highwind was faster.

"Alright Sherra." he said slowly, hanging up after a long pause. Well it's her fault for not saying anything else before he hung up, he told his slightly guilty conscience.

He took back the thought about wanting the call to be about Cloud. The bastard took his baby. Boy was he going to maim Cloud if it wasn't completely intact.

~ * * * * * * ~

The flight was a long one, and Sephiroth found himself trying to balance off the side of the plane and refuel it while trying not to put too much weight on one side. Cloud's PHS rang, and the plane tipped for a moment as he picked it up. He flailed and lost his hold on the container and therefore, the rest of the gas before he'd finished putting it in the tank. Shit. It had still been a third full. Hopefully this wouldn't cause a problem if he didn't say anything. Sephiroth glared at the back of Cloud's head as soon as he was sure he'd keep himself from being dumped into the ocean from over a couple hundred feet up. Thankfully, Cloud wasn't flying extremely high.

"You did?" He heard Cloud speaking into the receiver. "and he is...." There was a long pause, and Sephiroth assumed whoever was on the other side was speaking because Cloud was being attentive.

"You didn't have to call and tell me like this." He said politely, a little subdued. "Thank you, Sherra" He nodded to the phone unconsciously as he hung up. He turned to Sephiroth who had found his way back into the back seat.

"We have someone following us by air, but we should get there a few hours before if all goes well." Cloud said to him calmly. Sephiroth felt a little pale as he thought of the lost gas. Surely Cloud would be smart enough to bring a tank extra gas right? He'd seen Cloud put extra in, but he didn't know if there had been any at all yet or not. He was afraid to check. It was Cloud's bad flying anyway. He crossed his arms.

"These friends of yours?" Sephiroth asked Cloud.

"Of a sort." Cloud said, turning around after a brief pause. "I assume you haven't changed your mind on wanting to go, have you?" Cloud asked as an afterthought.

"No." Sephiroth replied, pausing for a moment. "This is absolutely what I want to do." He finished. Cloud said something in reply softly, but it was lost to the sound of the propeller, and passing wind.

Even though he'd thought Cloud would have more sense than to use almost exactly the amount of gas needed, he had really not been surprised when they had made a crash landing before their destination, due to lack of gas.

"I must have miscalculated somewhere" Cloud murmured after checking the plane for leaks when they landed. Overall, Cloud hadn't been that bad of a pilot, Sephiroth thought. But he refrained from saying anything about the lost gas, because in his mind, Cloud needed to learn to be more prepared. Of course, what he didn't know was that there hadn't been anymore gas available, but since neither of them had a reason to mention it, it would never be known.

"Well it's not too far if we walk,' Cloud murmured. "I just hope they don't get here first." He looked at Sephiroth in contemplation, wondering if the others knew he was with him. It wasn't likely that they were clueless after all this time. He'd somehow kept the white haired man to himself, without anyone he ran into recognizing him.

Though there had been quite a few appreciative stares thrown in the taller man's way. It wasn't surprising. If Sephiroth hadn't been a Soldier, and if the world had been a more peaceful place, he could easily have been a celebrity or model of some kind. Someone of his looks and proportions wasn't spotted everyday. And his long hair was just amazing. Cloud looked down at his hands, remembering the silky feel to it as he had cut it. It had been so smooth, but felt so thick.

Cloud stopped and paled as it occurred to him where he'd left the hair he'd saved from cutting it. No doubt about it now, they knew Sephiroth was alive again, and they likely thought Cloud was crazy.

"Something wrong?" he heard Sephiroth say from beside him. Sephiroth had been walking beside him instead of in front or behind him lately. It still felt weird. As if he was being treated as an equal. But that wasn't a possibility.

"It's nothing. It's just a bit cold." Cloud replied vaguely. Every time he tried to pull away, he felt Sephiroth right behind him. Why did it feel like the man knew exactly what he was thinking? The SOLDIER was entirely too perceptive for someone who should be confused by memory loss.

The entire side of the crater was painted white with snow, only the heavy wind brushing the snow away from the black stone momentarily before it was covered once again. Visibility was extremely low, but Cloud remembered every step of the way. he remembered because every moment they had been closer to Sephiroth he had tried harder to resist the pull of reunion. It was a longing he would never forget. Something surreal and bordering on need.

Yet when he had handed over the black materia, it hadn't entirely been under the thrall of the calling. Somewhere deep in his soul he hadn't believed Sephiroth would do all of he had. And that's why he'd failed to fight against it. That's why it was his fault.

He had placed too much on the shoulders of someone with feelings and emotions, with a heart and a soul, just like him. Cloud himself knew how hard it was to resist Jenova when she was a part of you. She had been a part of Sephiroth even before he was born. He could have saved him if he hadn't been so blind.

He could never have understood, as long as he kept thinking Sephiroth was flawless. The man was perfect in his own way, he was still the General, to Cloud. But had he the chance to do it all over again, he would have tried to save him. Even if he would have to crush the world itself to do it.

Why did he feel such a kinship to someone he had never become close to? Why was there such a resonance between them? Did Sephiroth feel it too? Or was it all just delusions on his part. He liked to think not. Were they alike? Could they ever come to understand each other?

Would Sephiroth even want to understand him....

They reached the top of the crater and peered in towards their next destination. The lifestream still swirled around the wound of the planet, almost futile in it's attempts to heal it. But Cloud had noticed, bit by bit, every year the crater was diminishing, And life had seemed to continuously try to creep up the slopes once again. Only the cold held them back.

What healed wounds in the soul of a human? Did only damage to the body heal? Or would someday everything that happened to him fade away. He winced in pain for a moment at the though. A knife twisting in his gut.

He didn't want to forget it. Not even a moment. There was something precious about the misery he'd experienced, and he didn't want to let go. Was that why he hadn't healed? He shook his head, oblivious for the moment, to Sephiroth's watchful eyes. Either way, he didn't deserve to forget.

They headed down into the Crater, free for the moment, from the driving wind. There had been no sign of anyone following them, or arriving ahead of them. Sephiroth assumed that Cloud was probably relieved if he had as well made that observation. He was probably unusually quiet, but there were a lot of unresolved thoughts hovering about his mind. There was a familiarity he felt with this place.

The mako in the air felt warm to him, and he could almost feel it coursing through his veins. He was hardly even touched by the cold of the snow crunching beneath his feet, but it didn't seem like Cloud was either, which kept him from feeling entirely abnormal.

It was hours until they were completely underground, and still hours after that until the only thing illuminating the caverns were glowing threads of materia and the crystals that reflected off of them.

"I know a few shortcuts through here" Cloud said softly, and it was the last words either of them spoke until they reached the end.

As they arrived at the last chamber, Sephiroth waled ahead of Cloud, taking the lead. His eyes were slightly unfocused but looked sharp, the pupil in a thin slit as he looked around with an expression Cloud had never known before.

"I know this place" he whispered with a slight hiss. Cloud shuddered for a moment, stopping any movement altogether when Sephiroth pulled out his sword and slid it into the indentation Cloud had made with it as a grave marker. Cloud was stunned. How could he remember that? He wasn't alive then, no one had seen it...

"You visited me so often." Sephiroth murmured with a voice void of any hesitation or coldness, void of the distance and sardonic humor Sephiroth always so often spoke with. Cloud took half a step back, then stopped. What did this mean? He felt like running, but he didn't know why.

"You were.." Sephiroth stopped speaking as they both heard footsteps outside the entrance. They both turned to face it. Vincent and Cid both appeared in the opening. They also stopped and stared at Cloud and Sephiroth. No one moved for what seemed like hours but was only a few moments.

Sephiroth suddenly made a sound that sounded like choking. Everyone focused there eyes on Sephiroth with a sudden turn of their head.

"Blood... were covered in my, it was.... I know you two.." There was something about his babbling that made it all seem very important. "Where are the others, the..." Sephiroth put a hand to his head in agony and stepped backwards, one step.

"It was my blood, and he was covered in it.... I made him" he said speaking at Vincent and Cid "He was the only one who didn't think I wouldn't do it, but I made him kill, kill me... the only way he could... I broke it..." He smiled, taking another step back. He was close enough to the edge that small rocks went tumbling over the side of the pit. "I wanted to..."

Cloud had a strangled look on his face and he started to take a step forward, opening his mouth to say something when Sephiroth's other foot got ready to step backward, which would place him off the edge. Cloud stopped moving, and so did Sephiroth. The ashes from Cid's cigarette fell off soundlessly as everyone tensed, refusing to even breath.

The Ground beneath him suddenly cracked, and he slipped backwards. He stepped forward in an effort not to fall, but somehow his foot missed purchase and instead sent him further out into the pit. Cloud's eyes widened, his eyes dilating into almost a pinpoint.

"Sephiroth" He called sharply, jolting the SOLDIER from his trance. But it was too late, he'd already fallen beyond reach, even though everything around him seemed to move at a snail pace, before he knew it he'd already fallen over ten feet.

Cloud rushed after Sephiroth, and without hesitation, or without even seeing if he could reach him by hand, he jumped into the opening. Now it was Sephiroth's turn to be surprised as Cloud's hand stretched out towards him as they fell further into the darkness.

As soon as Cid got over being utterly surprised, he rushed to the edge and peered in, seeing absolutely no sign of the two.

"Shit." He stated, at a loss. Vincent was paralyzed, not having left the position he'd first stopped moving in. He walked over to where Cid was after a while and stared in after them.

"Are they gone... for good?" He asked in a whisper. He was obviously traumatized.

"I don't-" Cid started, but was interrupted as they were thrown back by the force of an eruption of green light.


	9. Chapter Eight: Who Are You

~ * * * * * * ~

Silence. A restful, silent, peaceful, endless void.

Wait. He knew what came next after this. It was the voice. The one that always woke him and told him he couldn't stay. He wouldn't listen this time. Not even a little bit.

"Get up." There it was. No, I don't want to get up this time. Not this time. There's nothing left out there.

"You have to find him." It said. Find.... him?

"Who?" He thought back to the voice, against his better judgment. Shit, now it knew he could hear it. That he was listening.

"You know who. Remember." It said. Always so vague. Speaking in riddles.

"I.. don't." He replied.

"You can't resist this time, not when it's him, never when it's him. Cloud, you can't say no." Wait. Cloud? It had never referred to him by name before. What did that mean. This was the same voice right?

"Who... are you" He asked, standing up in the darkness. The darkness faded out into a pale green light.

"That's the way. Get up, take a step forward. You won't turn back. I promise." The voice abruptly stopped there, and everything faded in a flash of light, and he found himself in Nebelheim. Left with nothing but questions, and all alone. The town was empty, not even a breeze occupied the streets.

He walked forward, somehow drawn to the mansion. His footsteps made no sound, but the silence of his step echoed. He felt very disoriented, yet everything was solid. He could feel the ground beneath his feet, the sharpness of the heavy, slightly stale air.

He opened the mansion door, it made no sound. It was suddenly that day again. Everything happened like it was that day. He walked the exact same steps he had then, but there was no one in the mansion this time. He stopped to talk to the guard, who wasn't there, then turned and opened the secret door.

The stairs made no sound as he walked down them, but he could feel them squeaking beneath his step. He walked, past the wooden boarded door that he had later found Vincent in, straight to the library, when he heard it.

The sound of turning pages.

"I didn't know any of this would happen then." he thought, somehow it echoed aloud too. He hadn't moved his lips. Sephiroth turned to him.

"What could you have done" He said, a book in his hand still, piles of books about his feet.

"I don't know" his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Something... anything." He paused.

"I couldn't have stopped it could I have?:" he said finally. Sephiroth shook his head.

"No, not at this point. There was too much then, it would have been too little, too late." He said calmly. His voice, it's so soothing, Cloud thought. Deep without being menacing. Soft without being quiet. He spoke like Cloud had always imagined an angel would.

"Where am I?"

"Don't you mean.. who?" Came the reply. He couldn't Identify where it had come from. He shuddered involuntarily, and when he looked up, Sephiroth was gone, The library void of everything except the bookshelves that lined the wall, empty.

There was a high pitched sound accompanied by a flash that made Cloud cover his ears, but by the time his hand's got to his ears, it stopped. Everything was gone, and all around him was white. He looked down to see his shadow. It didn't make much sense because light was coming from every direction, including below.

"Step forward Cloud" the voice spoke again, and could couldn't help but obey. He found himself somewhere else. A white laboratory, machines buzzing and whirring. Scientists scurrying about. A man laughing, bent in front of a console.

"Hojo?" He whispered to himself. He looked around quickly to see if anyone had heard him. No one even seemed to see him at all.

"Have you come to save me?" Came the voice of a child from behind him. Cloud turned, and found himself staring into a pair of wide, crystal green eyes. The child probably no older than six, pointed diagonally towards the way Cloud had been facing a moment before. Cloud turned to look, and had to take a few steps closer to see what it was.

It was a table, long enough for a man, but a small form was strapped to it with heavy restraints. He looked behind him. The other boy was still there. They looked the same. He was drawn to look at the restrained boy again.

His small body was perspiring, and his eyes looked dull and lifeless. There were endless tubes and machines hooked up to him, and his face was frozen in a perpetual small frown. His eyes shifted towards cloud for a moment, looking exceptionally sharp and clear. It felt like those eyes looked straight through him and, for a brief second, Cloud felt like running away. The boy's eyes faded again turning dull with what Cloud was now sure was pain. He was conscious. How could they do things like this without at least sedating him.

They had pumped all sorts of painkillers into Cloud. He reached out to touch the boy, but for some reason he was always just too far away.

"You can't help me here either, can you." The boy said dully. He didn't even sound sad, just sure of the answer. Cloud winced at the pain that caused and dropped his hand.

"I can't save anyone" he mumbled. The boy grabbed is hand, startling Cloud.

"That's not true. You can save him. He's always so alone. I can't save him because it's me..." The boy said, his voice falling to a whisper towards the end of his small speech. Cloud realized everything had disappeared but them. He shook his head at the boy, not believing. The boy dropped his hand and stepped back.

"Walk forward, Cloud" he said, "Find him." The boy smiled sadly. "If you try you can, I'm sure of it. He's looking for the same thing you are" The boy disappeared abruptly, leaving Cloud confused. he stared at the place the boy had been the moment before.

"But what am I looking for..." he asked himself, turning around to stare forward. He took a step. and then another.

"What are you trying to find..." he asked, not sure whether he was asking himself, or... someone else.

* * * * * *

"Sephiroth, wake up" A familiar voice spoke to him, shaking him.

"Stop that" He grumbled as he fought to open his eyes. He could feel the presence leaning over him, it's arms on his shoulders. it let go, probably sitting up beside him.

He opened his eyes, finding his assumption had been correct. It was Zack, and he was sitting up beside him.... only, he was sitting upside down. Sephiroth's eyes widened as he realized he was lying upside down, or floating. There didn't appear to be any ground anywhere.

Zack floated back a bit, and flipped right-side up.

"A little disorienting isn't it." Zack stated more than asked. Sephiroth just nodded as he somehow managed to sit upside up as well.

"Where am I?" He asked calmly. Last thing he remembered was falling.

"Somewhere like limbo" Came the answer from Zack. "Don't worry though, you're not dead yet."

"Yet?" Sephiroth asked. Zack waved the question away, like so much air.

"It's not important anyway. There's something you need to do, this will probably be your only chance." Sephiroth crossed his arms and waited, leaning back a bit, reclining on the... emptiness.

"Ah," Zack started, scratching the back of his head "Would you find Cloud? He said, quickly looking at Sephiroth, then speaking again before he gave Sephiroth a chance to answer. "I mean, the real Cloud. The one I'm not even sure he knows. He gets lost easily, and I'm not sure he'll be able to find his way out on his own..." Zack trailed off for a moment, looking a little nervous under Sephiroth's scrutiny.

"You sound a little nervous Zack" Sephiroth said with a slight grin. "Is there something wrong?" he asked, a little amused.

"Ah you know full well why I'm..." He trailed of as he saw the raised eyebrow Sephiroth gave him. "You just want to hear me say it, don't you. You can be such an asshole Sephiroth. Alright alright." Zack sighed. "I just don't know what you'll be willing to do to help Cloud now that you've got your full memory." Sephiroth shook his head at Zack.

"Don't worry, I've got no reason to hate the kid." He said.

"You realize, that since you've been dead for 15 years, technically he's older than you" Zack said with amusement. Sephiroth stood up.

"I don't think so" he said, with assurance.

"Why do you way that?"

"You know as well as I do, that he likely hasn't aged a day since I died. Or before."

"That's not what I meant" Zack grumbled, annoyed at having his teasing so easily shot down.

"Now get to the point. You want me to find him right? I need to know a little more than that."

"..." Zack sighed, "He's been stuck here before, but it was someone else that had to help him out. Actually, other than the fact that he's stuck in your memories, you're really the only one who can."

"Why's that."

"Well, there's no one left alive with a close connection to both the planet, and Cloud. This is technically kind of inside the lifestream."

"I see." Sephiroth said, crossing his arms and turning away from Zack.

"Come on Sephiroth, you promised you'd take care of him." Zack said with a slight whine. He was getting a little desperate. Sephiroth almost smiled, but he knew Zack would be able to sense it even if he couldn't see it. They knew each other pretty well. Well at least they used to. Zack didn't seem to trust him anymore.

"Actually, I never said I would, you just asked me to." He turned to face Zack with a serious expression. "It was rather crafty of you to try to elicit a promise from me when I didn't know any better."

"But... I ... there was no other, I couldn't " Zack started sputtering as Sephiroth started to walk away. "Wait!" he said, standing up and starting after his companion. Sephiroth stopped, and turned his head slightly so Zack could only just see the side of his face.

"Don't worry Zack," Sephiroth said calmly. "Truly, now that I remember everything, I want to find the real Cloud by my own choice." he turned to face forward again, knowing he'd rendered Zack speechless.

"It was a touch of you that fought against me the whole way with Avalanche, but it was really Cloud, that killed me." Zack made a sound as if to say something. "Don't" Sephiroth said simply. "You can't hide the fact that you started to really hate me."

"I didn't mean to" Zack said with a sigh. "You killed her, Sephiroth, and you just continued to hurt him over and over with no thought." He ran a hand through his hair. "I know it wasn't exactly you, but I couldn't forgive.... especially since he did, no matter what you did... He blames himself for everything you know." Zack finished, looking up at Sephiroth's back hopefully.

"I know" Sephiroth replied. "But Zack?"

"Hmm?" Zack waited.

"It would be better if you stayed away from him altogether. You're not helping him now."

"I..." Zack started, but stopped and dropped his hand from the back of his neck. "I know."

"Trust me this one last time" Sephiroth walked away, leaving Zack staring after him.

"I'm sorry Sephiroth." Zack said, after the white haired man was gone. He knew he'd failed as a friend, and in doing so, had done more damage than anyone else could ever do. Sephiroth was really alone now.

"I promise for this, I'll trust you." He ran a hand through his hair again, pausing midway and dropping it. "Just don't screw it up, for your sake as much as Cloud's."

~ * * * * * * ~

He kept walking, but nothing happened for the longest time. Then he heard voices.

"I tell you Sephiroth, she's so pretty, and we're going to grow flowers and sell them"

"That'll get far." Cloud heard the voice of Sephiroth reply. There was a pause of silence that Cloud imagined was filled by a glare.

"Fuck you" the other voice said finally. "I was just trying to tell you about something I was happy about, and you have to make fun of it like that" Cloud realized he recognized that voice. It was Zack "You always do that, push people away. I get so sick of it sometimes." Zack sighed and Cloud could easily imagine Zack running his hand through his hair, and Sephiroth... he was probably facing a window, standing up and looking standoffish. Cloud moved towards the voices.

"...Then why don't you just leave?" Sephiroth said calmly, and for some reason Clouds lungs felt frozen up, like he was choking on his heart.

"You know I didn't mean it that way, Seph." Zack said sounding frustrated. Cloud felt relief. Were these Sephiroth's feelings? It didn't make sense. He sounded so cold.

"Do I?" Sephiroth said in the same quiet tone. Cloud could see them now, it a room with no walls, an incomplete image. Zack looked sideways at Sephiroth sadly.

"I've always got to tiptoe around you" Zack said softly. "You back away at the nearest hint of closeness, yet you're jealous of other people having relationships of any kind, as if it would compromise yours... " Zack stood up, placing a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder, Sephiroth stiffened almost imperceptibly. "but you're my best friend man. That, I wouldn't give up for any amount of shit you might put me through.. " Sephiroth pulled away abruptly, and walked out of the room. Zack dropped his hand heavily, with a bit of frustration. Cloud could feel the calmness flowing through Sephiroth. He wasn't angry? He never would have guessed it.

"Oh man" he hear Zack say as the images started to fade, "You need some real people skills!" he yelled after Sephiroth, the noise echoing off as Cloud was in complete emptiness again.

"Take a step" Cloud whispered to himself as he slowly started walking forward again. This time the ground rushed past him and he almost stopped walking, because it felt like he was going backwards. He closed his eyes and kept stepping forward. All sensations stopped and he opened his eyes.

He was floating in the lifestream, accompanied by thoughts that weren't his own, but he felt everything as if they were.

Confusion, pain, he could see a thick trail of blood streaming out into the green flow. It turned a sickly greenish brown as it mixed, some of it stayed the same bright red towards the center. It was blinding. He looked down at his hand, except he wasn't controlling his own movements. It was covered in blood.

The forced actions looked down at his stomach, and as he stared at the huge wound that was leaking out his life, Cloud realized who he was at the moment. Sephiroth.

"Who.. was that" Sephiroth's voice spoke, and Cloud saw an image of him, of Cloud, appearing in the thought. Cloud remembered that moment. When he'd impaled Sephiroth in the reactor. Sephiroth was wondering who he was?

Hadn't he known him from Shinra? He'd been with them on the ride over and... Cloud felt the urge to lose himself in disappointment, but Sephiroth's feelings were to overwhelming.

He felt incredulous and confused, disbelief, awe, and.... sorrow? Regret? It was only a small drop of either, but their presence among the rest of the emotions confused Cloud.

"Why was he crying?" Sephiroth asked himself, and Cloud didn't have an answer. He didn't know Sephiroth had seen his tears then, had thought the blood splattered across his face had washed them away.

"Doesn't he hate me? Like everyone else?" Cloud froze at the last thought, utterly dumbfounded. Hate Sephiroth? Everyone.... He was worshiped! Everyone had wanted to be Sephiroth. Why would he think everyone hated him?

Before he could think more on it, everything blacked out, and Cloud found himself standing in emptiness again, an inky blackness like no other that he'd ever seen, except once. No. Not here. He didn't want to be here, didn't want to know, He didn't want to feel Sephiroth's thoughts.

But it was too late. He found himself staring at himself, staring up, standing that way he'd seen Sephiroth standing. He tried to close his eyes but he couldn't, tried to scream but he couldn't. Everything was being played out again, and he remembered the way he'd felt the entire time, and it was so painful.

He didn't want to feel Sephiroth's hatred for him, he didn't want to- He stopped. Everything had gone black again when he'd been overwhelmed. He must have seen it, because he hadn't closed his eyes, couldn't, close his eyes. He tried to open them but they weren't closed.

He felt at peace, and a hand lifted off his eyes. So that's where the darkness had come from. He looked up to see Sephiroth looking down at him, calm, normal Sephiroth. It didn't seem like a memory this time, but the real thing. He almost smiled but was to afraid to.

"You were crying that time too..." Sephiroth said quietly, and Cloud's eyes widened. "Why?" he asked, gaining a flinch from Cloud. Cloud felt trapped, until he saw Sephiroth shake his head. "Don't worry about it. Let's go"

"Go where?" Cloud asked, finding his voice.

"Find what you're looking for." Sephiroth replied, and Cloud was startled.

"But I was looking for y-" he stopped abruptly. He hadn't meant to say that.

"No, the other thing you're looking for," Sephiroth said, unfazed by the admission.

"Other thing?"

"You'll understand when we get there." Sephiroth said simply, as he turned and started walking with a purpose. Cloud followed, somehow feeling naked, as if he had no defenses here, wherever this was. He couldn't feign disinterest or anger. How could he bear being so close to his childhood hero? He didn't know what he'd do if Sephiroth found out how weak he really was.

He was the only person whose opinion ever mattered, yet for the life of him, when he thought about it, Cloud couldn't figure out why. At least the Elite Soldier was acting the way Cloud had always remembered him. He didn't know if he could survive any more of the unpredictable behavior from the amnesiac Sephiroth.

It felt like all that had happened so long ago now though, in this strange sub-reality. He wasn't sure he could really remember any of it.


	10. Chapter Nine: Marionette

~ * * * * * * ~

When he left Zack behind, he found himself in a place that the dark haired soldier must have been occupying for the last few decades. A place opposite of where he had to go to find Cloud. They were memories, memories of Cloud's. Sealed up, cold balls of images, static and impossible to break. Yet there was one in the center of his mind that played over and over again, one that wasn't submerged like the rest.

It was his death, and the look of relief that had briefly passed his face, on repeat over and over again. And though he couldn't see Cloud, since it wasn't his own memory of the event, he couldn't see the look he'd remembered so well passing over Cloud's face at the same moment. A look of regret, a look of loss, a look that portrayed just how much Cloud had lost at that moment.

That's when he knew, he knew exactly where he'd find Cloud in his own memories. And he hadn't been wrong.

Now the problem was getting Cloud to open up his own hidden self. To get Cloud to admit that he needed help. He closed his eyes for a moment as they walked, and when he opened them, they were exactly where he wished. He was getting the hang of moving around here.

They were back in Midgar, when Sephiroth had been scouting the new recruits. It had taken him quite a bit of contemplation, but he remembered seeing Cloud for the first time then. It wasn't much of a memory, and it had only been a brief glance, but he did remember thinking that there didn't look like any worthwhile recruits were there. He couldn't very well tell that to Cloud though.

"This is the first time I ever met you," Sephiroth said to the real Cloud, looking over at him. Cloud was oddly silent. Not that he wasn't silent often, but there was something strange about this one.

"I remember that," Cloud said with a note of nostalgia and a bit of awe, "it was the first time I'd seen you in person. I hadn't even hoped to see you at that place. They said you often didn't come." Cloud winced, feeling like he revealed a bit too much of himself.

"Why can't I say things the way I want to say them," he mumbled quietly, but Sephiroth heard it fine.

"Because here, it's not calculated words that you're speaking from consciously manipulating vocal chords but," He paused poking Cloud lightly in the head, just enough to be noticed "words that come straight from here. It might take a little getting used to, but you can avoid embarrassing yourself if you don't try too hard." Cloud looked up at him blankly, probably absorbing that information, and measuring the amount of effort 'not' to put into it.

They stood in silence for a few moments before Sephiroth turned the other direction, and on cue, another Cloud appeared before him. This time a frozen memory of Cloud in Nebelheim, right before everything went to hell.

"This is the last time I saw you." he said softly. Something behind his voice must have confused Cloud, because he looked at Sephiroth with puzzlement.

"What do you mean by that?" He started to say, "Do you still not remem-" He stopped as he was interrupted by Sephiroth turning his head sharply to look at Cloud again. Sephiroth felt a pang as he saw Cloud flinch at his movement.

"That's not what I meant." Sephiroth said, with a clear yet still calm and quiet voice. "I don't think you were really there through the whole long battle. I don't think you were anything more than a spectator in the event, playing a marionette role." Cloud went really pale. And at that point Sephiroth was sure that Cloud was more aware of what was happening in his own head than he pretended to be, more than Zack had thought he was.

"I..What... You..." Cloud clutched his head in pain and cried out with frustration. "Arghhhh, Shut up, You're confusing me" He said as he fell to his knees, shaking with what Sephiroth suspected might be more anger than anything else. Clouds equilibrium had been disrupted and he didn't seem at all happy with it.

If they had been in the normal world, he doubted such a comment would have even remotely effected Cloud. But this place was different, even Sephiroth could feel it. There was a real difficulty in surpassing emotions, walls that one might build against their own feelings were bypassed here. It was enough to easily drive a normal person crazy.

But Cloud had been through quite a lot more than just any normal person, Sephiroth was relying on that fact to get through this. That and the fact that he himself refused to accept defeat of any kind. Yet this was hard. Sephiroth was having problems not reacting to the morass of emotions floating through the air. Cloud's emotions hummed through him like electronic waves through a radio. He could almost feel the flow of the lifestream itself through Cloud. Just how much Mako had he been exposed to in his life? Even Sephiroth wasn't that connected.

"Ah," Cloud spoke up for his position on his knees, "Sorry, I don't know what happened." Sephiroth shook his head, denying any blame or fault, as Cloud looked up at him. He paused for a moment, shifting his weight down a bit as he seemed to think.

"Do you trust me?" he asked Cloud. Cloud stared at him for a moment, looking like his older self once again for a brief moment. He nodded to the man standing above him. Sephiroth stretched out his hand.

"Then rely on me for a while. I won't let anything happen to you. Believe in that." Cloud stared into the sincerity of Sephiroth's eyes, and for a moment saw what he thought was fear. Was Sephiroth afraid he might not accept? Cloud reached for his hand without hesitation at the thought, but froze up a few inches from grabbing it. His hand was shaking, he could feel the heat from Sephiroth's hand, and for some reason, it was he that was afraid. He resisted the urge to pull back, and reached a little further, making contact.

Sephiroth's larger hand closed around his firmly and pulled Cloud up. It was a solid grip, like a vice, but without putting any actual squeezing pressure on Cloud. Cloud had a sinking feeling that it had been his last chance to run, but how could he ever look into Sephiroth's eyes and refuse the sincerity that lay there.

He had never been able to say no to them, those eyes that endlessly dared you to walk away. It was as if he was always expecting it, expecting people to walk away. This is what went through Cloud's mind every-time he looked at Sephiroth's eyes, and with that in mind, he almost accepted his choice never walking away those times, with the black materia, and in the end, with Sephiroth's death. He also knew in his heart, if someone hadn't called out that moment, he would have killed her for him too. He hadn't even felt like resisting.

"I'm your puppet," he whispered quietly, and this time, not even Sephiroth's ears heard him. Cloud felt a dark amusement at the thought that in effect he was a puppet that walked over to the puppeteer and handed him his strings all on his own. But who but Sephiroth's dexterous and skilled fingers could ever manipulate his fate so well. He almost felt relief there in Sephiroth's warm hand, and that's when he knew he was lost.

What had he been waiting for all these years? Sephiroth to come back and take him up as a marionette once more? Had that been the reason he'd stayed away from everyone so long? Because he couldn't do anything on his own, but was to picky to ask anyone to help him when he'd been spoiled by someone making decisions for him?

Cloud almost felt like crying. Even now, with his long dreamed dream of 'The Great Sephiroth' taking notice of him and only him, he felt more alone than ever. He didn't know who he was. If he'd ever, even known himself at all, and if he didn't know himself, how could anyone else ever really come to know him or care for him. Would he ever be able to feel someone's company again after this revelation? He knew that he probably wouldn't, that he'd withdrawn even more. After all no one was really looking at him anyway, just... just...

Well then what were they looking at?

He looked at Sephiroth, who was looking at him a little oddly after he'd pulled him to his feet. Had Sephiroth somehow read what was going through his mind? Or was he realizing on his own just by touching Cloud that there was nothing here but an empty shell?

"Do you trust me?" The thought suddenly echoed in Clouds thoughts. That's right. He'd promised to rely on him for a while. He looked at Sephiroth hesitantly. He swallowed what felt like a rock in his throat.

"Sephiroth?" he queried. Sephiroth continued to look at him with that penetrating gaze, the one that Cloud felt could see through everything. But that wasn't possible, because there was nothing there.

"What?" Sephiroth asked softly when Cloud didn't continue. Cloud fought an involuntary shiver as the smoothness of Sephiroth's voice threatened to melt over him like so much butter. He became overly conscious of his hand in Sephiroth's, and of how cold and clammy he felt. Sephiroth's hand was dry, and seemed to hold him with assurance.

"Who...." he started, clearing his voice when it cracked due to the nervous saliva that was building up. "Who am I?" he asked in a whisper finally. He thought that maybe Sephiroth would know exactly who he was, would somehow assure him that he was who he'd always been. He thought for a moment Sephiroth would be just as blind as he had been. Then he might of felt like he could go on.

But it wasn't going to be that easy. Sephiroth was Sephiroth. He'd always seen more than anyone else. Except when he'd found out people had been lying to him. That had been when he'd gone crazy, but that wasn't the point. Sephiroth, by Cloud's observation, took everything he saw seriously. Probably even more so now, because of the mistakes he'd made before.

No, not mistakes. Cloud still didn't think any of it was Sephiroth's fault, but was that giving the man too little credit? Cloud's mind just shut down for a moment when he realized he was being too nervous. Filling his thoughts with pointless babble in order to avoid the apprehension he felt waiting for a response.

The silence after Cloud's question was long, and pregnant with hidden meanings only Sephiroth seemed to know, because when Cloud tried to focus on the moment instead of escaping he saw that Sephiroth was honestly contemplating what to say. Contemplating what he knew, perhaps.

Then it stopped. The silence fell dead even before Sephiroth started to speak, because Cloud could see the answer on his face as clearly as he could see the sun rise on a cloudless day. He felt more relieved and lost than ever, there was almost an apology in Sephiroth's eyes. It was something Cloud had seen once before. At another moment that had changed everything as much as Cloud knew this one would.

"I don't know" Sephiroth said at last, and everything that had been pent up inside Cloud just faded away like mist, "but that's what I'm trying to find out." Cloud closed his eyes, saddened and euphoric at the same time. He felt his will to hold himself up just fall out from underneath him.

~ * * * * * * ~

"I think we should just kill him now while he can't fight back." Cid said with a glare to the unconscious body of the once 'oh so great' warrior Sephiroth.

"I don't think that would be a good idea" Vincent said, looking at Cloud who was on the next bed over and also unconscious.

"Why the fuck not?" Cid asked in frustration.

"I... don't know" Vincent said, shaking his head in apology afterwards. "It just isn't." Cid cursed under his breath, somehow feeling that Vincent was right. It was a strange thing because he didn't want to feel that way, and his stubbornness had always supported his instincts in the past. Why wasn't it working now?

This feeling was somewhat foreign. And he'd noticed that he didn't feel at all like it would be a bad idea to do as he wanted to when he was further away from them.

They'd been out for a month now, ever since that blast from the lifestream had sent them flying backwards out of that endless drop. Cid had been grateful for the save, but now he susspected there was something more to it

There was something very fishy going on, and Cid suspected that there was some sort of enchantment or spell around them. He also didn't think that blast had been just a fluke. It was too irregular, too convenient.

Did it mean the lifestream approved of Sephiroth's being alive again? Was the planet suicidal? He had worried about it a lot now, which had caused him to call Nanaki despite his desire to leave others out of it. Luckily he resisted the urge to call everyone else, he knew Tifa and Barett would hover around like worried rodents, and Yuffie would rob him blind, or throw up all over his ship again. Yeah, he really would have regretted that.

The huge feline that Hojo had so lovingly named Red XIII was on his way. He hadn't told Vincent yet. He really should stop keeping things from the ex-turk, but sometimes he felt like Vincent needed someone to watch out for him. Like an older brother or something.

Of course at times Vincent had proved to be more practical than him, but he'd ignore that in favor of Vincent being delicate. It was a lot better for his peace of mind. It sometimes seemed weird to think that the pale and completely non-grey-haired man was older than him by possibly over twenty or thirty years.

"Shit" Cid said to no one in particular. The imposed responsibility was one thing he didn't miss when he'd been out of a job due to the cancelation of the space program. It was starting to get to him big time now. He wasn't responsible for anyone else's well-being, but tell his conscience that.

"Professor, what is it?" Vincent asked when the tall doctor walked in the room. This was the worst part. Cid really wanted to shoot that guy, and he didn't even use guns. But undoubtedly he was the only one who knew anything about Cloud's less than normal biological er, situation.

"Ah, don't call me that, it makes me feel old," the dip-shit replied. "Besides I'm not a professor."

"Then why the fuck are we letting you near Cloud with your dumb brain?" Cid murmured under his breath, knowing it was a crap insult and rather immature. He didn't care. They ignored him, so there was no foul.

"What could you figure out, uhm, Louis" Vincent asked the doctor. Cid gave Vincent a sharp look that the guns-man didn't notice. Why did 'Louis' get special treatment? Vincent had called him 'Highwind' for the longest time. He stewed for a while as he lit a cigarette.

"Well, It's really strange really. Which isn't a surprising thing with those two, something being strange. I'd be surprised if it wasn't"

"Stop stalling fuck-head." Cid said, cigarette dangling over his lip. He felt really stupid for the earlier bitterness, having realized they didn't even know if Louis had a last name. Of course Vincent wasn't showing him special treatment.

Hell what was he thinking anyway lately. First the assumption Vinny and Cloud were a thing, and then this whole suspicion about the doc. Well a little vaguer than the Cloud thing, he didn't think Vincent had any sort of romantic interest for someone he'd known for such a short time. It would be insulting to the smart man to think otherwise. Besides, he knew full well Vincent wouldn't touch a scientist with anything less than a bullet to the skull if it wasn't necessary.

Why the hell did he have this obsession with pairing Vincent with guys anyway, Sure Vincent was pretty, but not uh, girly in the slightest.... Well, he was really quiet. Maybe it just let Cid's imagination run away with him.

Cid walked over and slumped into a chair, figuring thinking was not the intelligent thing to do at the moment.

"Hrm" Louis started talking again finally. "it's a little hard to say because its rather vague. Absolutely nothing wrong with their vitals, CAT- scan comes up with nothing out of the ordinary." Louis sighed. "Frankly, I don't know what to say." He scratched the back of his head.

"Or that's how I would have had to say it a few years ago." Cid had the urge to punch him because he knew Louis had likely nearly scared the shit out of Vincent.

"Why didn't you just sa-"

"Cid it's not important" Vincent said interrupting him with an apologetic look. Well fine, maybe Vincent didn't need to have his feelings protected. Shit, what was he good for other than a taxi service?

"As I was saying," Louis continued, giving a look to Cid that Cid definitely wasn't happy about. "the research that allowed me to bring Sephiroth back in the first place will be quite a help in this situation. But I'll need to do a brief explanation or I'll completely loose you guys."

Great, now he was calling them stupid.

"I was studying the interaction of the soul to the lifestream, and there were a few important observations I made." He paused, trying to figure out which words to place next. "For one, the soul isn't connected to the lifestream, but the lifestream is definitely connected to the soul. You can't reach it by mere will alone but it can reach you.

"Of course there are limits to what it can do, so don't worry about that. The next bit is kind of important.

"Normally when one is exposed to high Mako, it can kill them, or destroy their mind, from what I heard, you almost had a problem like that with Cloud. In truth it's because for moments, however brief, the wall between the soul and the lifestream is removed.

"And then one experiences things that only the Cetra, perhaps, could imagine. There's a lot of life in that energy, a lot of thoughts and emotions. Residue one leaves after one dies. After a while it blurs and gets mixed with everything else, but people are constantly dying and getting born, so there is a lot of noise."

"Why would people being born be a problem?" Cid asked, hoping to catch louis on something he missed, and also genuinely curious. "Didn't you say that souls aren't really connected?"

"Well that's true, I did." Louis answered "But on the other hand, I didn't yet say that near the time when you're born, and a bit before when you're being developed as a soul, I'm not entirely positive on how that works yet, the barrier between you and the stream is really thin, until you start developing in ways that further block it out.

"That's why there are a few people out there that 'see' things, they never truly broke away. It's rare but it happens. It's also a cause of a lot of sources of insanity. But to get back to the point. When you're exposed to mako you get trapped in the awareness of the lifestream, and sometimes you see things that you wouldn't normally see.

"The most common cases are people who take a trip into their mind as a third person view. This normally isn't possible, but a result of the lifestream's identification process. It checks you out to see if it recognizes you, or to see if you belong, then closes the link if you don't. If you live through it. It wasn't designed as human friendly. Er, probably not designed at all." Cid glanced over at Vincent who was getting a little worried. Louis followed Cid's gaze and got a little defensive.

"I'm not saying either of them is in that kind of trouble." He rushed out "Both Cloud and Sephiroth have been through the lifestream and survived, maybe on more than one occasion. In fact, the mako, as I stated before didn't effect their body at all, which on a whole is quite miraculous. No normal human could hope to survive that much mako in a million years they really are a work of ar......" he trailed of when he saw Vincent look away, and Cid glare at him. Alright, maybe a bad subject. Louis made a mental note to try not to sound too enthusiastic about being a scientist. With these people it might get him killed.

"Anyway" he said quietly, dropping the enthusiasm he had been portraying. "It's nothing to worry about. The bottom line is, that wherever they are, It's really by choice." Louis shrugged "But I'm sorry to say we can't really do anything at this point. Just wait and see what happens. Not unless we had a way to get to them. There's no way I'm jumping into the lifestream just to take a look" He joked weakly, Vincent looked at him again and stood up.

"Thank you Doctor Louis. I appreciate what you've done. Please continue to watch after them, in case anything we can do something about happens," he said as he started heading out of the room. Louis just nodded. Vincent was by far the most politely spoken man he'd met. Cid got up and followed after Vincent, completely ignoring the scientist on the way out. Louis winced. Cid really seemed to hate him.


	11. Chapter Ten: Who I Am

~ * * * * * * ~

The world faded around Cloud and Sephiroth, melting like rain, colors, or lack of color streaming and pooling into the ground. Sephiroth stooped to catch the fainted Cloud in his arms, looking around him as everything fell apart.

What was happening? Was this the result of Cloud accepting that he knew as little about himself as anyone else? Where would everything fall together again, or would it just continue to fall apart?

He stood up and started walking, lifting up the unconscious Cloud. Something slipped, and he had to struggle to catch Cloud, who was now looking up at him from the body of a small child.

"Hey mister" Cloud-child spoke, as their surroundings appeared into what looked like a house. "What are you doing here? Are you a friend of my mom?" Sephiroth paused as the little boy squirmed out of his hold to stand in front of him. He shook his head no.

"Then why are you here?" Cloud asked innocently. Sephiroth wanted to ruffle his hair, it looked so soft and fluffy resting against his baby-like face. So this was what Cloud had looked like as a child. Sephiroth smiled at him.

"I'm looking for someone." Cloud was answered by the man standing in his 'memories.'

"I hope you find him." Cloud said with a whisper of seriousness, looking up at Sephiroth with wide eyes. Was he aware that it was him that he was searching for? Was Cloud trying to show him something, or had he just gotten lost in this odd dimension of thought and feeling...

"I'm trying to find something too..." Cloud said a little forlornly, "But I don't know if it even exists." Sephiroth broke away from his thoughts to look at Cloud with interest.

"What are you looking for?" Sephiroth asked. Cloud grabbed his hand with his slightly chubby delicate hand and pulled Sephiroth towards the other room of the house. Sephiroth let himself be led to the bed where Cloud pushed him into a sitting position.

Cloud smiled at him before ducking around the other side of the bed to dig for something under it. He came up with a scrapbook, which he handed to Sephiroth. Sephiroth opened it as cloud sat on his knees beside him, trying to lean around his shoulder to watch while sephiroth flipped through. Sephiroth paused after the first page. They were all clippings of him.

"Did you really have something like this?" He asked the boy, Cloud didn't seem to hear him.

"I want to be like him." he said. The kid had a longing expression that hurt to look at.

"It burned, with everything else" came a voice at the same time in answer, it was Cloud's older voice, and Sephiroth looked around only to find no one else there.

"I want to be special too." Cloud went on, looking up at Sephiroth before going on. "Because then maybe people will like me." Sephiroth looked at the boy sadly, not willing to tell him that no one had ever really liked him either.

"They might be afraid of you" He said instead "What would you do if they were?"

"That's ok," Cloud said absentmindedly as he flipped to another page of the scrapbook on Sephiroth's lap "at least then then... they would leave me alone instead of hating me."

Sephiroth looked at the boy in silence, until moments later everything started to fade and change.

~ * * * * * * ~

He found he was standing in a hallway. A hallway that was familiar to him. It was the Shinra training barracks. He heard his own voice from a far distance off, coming down the hallway.

"What now?" he mumbled quietly to himself. He found he was looking at himself turning the corner, but a slight sound and footstep from the side caught his attention.

To the side was Cloud, ducking into a corner room, a janitor closet, closing the door all but one inch. Why was he hiding? Sephiroth observed the surroundings a bit more. No, anyone was allowed in this hallway, there was no reason to hide, unless.... was he afraid?

No it wasn't likely, Cloud was listening at the crack in the door, and the feeling in the air was curiosity, not fear.

"Shit Sephiroth, you've got to stop doing that." The voice of Zack followed around the corner, and now they were both in range to be heard, or at least Zack was, he had always been pretty loud. "You should just tell them to shove it. You're old enough to do that now right?"

"Technically my age doesn't matter one damn bit" Sephiroth mouthed as the memory him spoke aloud. He remembered this conversation. Zack had been wondering why he put up with the lab tests. "They own me, I'm nothing more than an experiment with a name and a voice."

"Fuck" Zack replied, stopping just in front of the door. Cloud tried to hide deeper into the shadows, even though he was already behind a door. Sephiroth could feel his apprehension. "What is it now? The fifth time this week?"

"No..." Sephiroth said with a reluctant pause. "You're off by double digits."he said blandly, as if it were the most normal fact in the world. Sephiroth remembered that he hadn't wanted to tell Zack so much, but the brown haired man just always happened to be around when he was less guarded than usual, or was it just that he was less guarded around Zack? Probably the latter, now that he thought of it.

"Shit..." Zack said softly, at a loss for any other words. He started walking again. The memory Sephiroth followed behind this time, instead of vice versa.

Sephiroth looked over at where Cloud was, and the walls were transparent. Cloud thudded his back onto the wall behind him, knocking a mop over. It fell to the ground and Cloud didn't move at all for a moment. Then he dropped his head and slid down the wall to hit the floor with a slight jolt. He fell forward, resting his arms over his knees as he placed his hands on-top of his head.

"He," Cloud started to whisper. "has it worse than me...." he trailed of, dropping one hand to the floor as he tilted his head the opposite way.

"And I couldn't even begin to imagine.... " He dropped the other hand looking blankly to the side. "he doesn't deserve that, it should be me, for all the uselessness I am."

"Sephiroth..." he lifted his hand and looked at the slight light that filtered in through the doorway. "Don't let it fade" He said fisting his hand as if he were trying to grasp the light.

"If I could though, I'd rather it be me..."

Sephiroth stared on in confusion. It was to ambiguous to understand, but had he possibly meant...? He didn't have time to further ponder the thought because the scene faded around him once more.

~ * * * * * * ~

Cid sat outside of the room when she came out. It had been unavoidable, her coming here. He shouldn't have said anything to Nanaki, not that the cat had betrayed him, no it was a lot more complicated than that. She happened to have been visiting Cosmo Canyon just as he was leaving.

Nanaki never left the village, it was to suspicious to be ignored. Yuffie naturally, followed him giving him no choice. No, Nanaki hadn't said a single thing about the situation, but once she'd arrived it was a moot point. Now everything was falling apart. The situation couldn't be contained.

The shit had hit the proverbial fan.

"I don't even know where to start." Cid said, not even looking up at the 30 year old Wutai warrior.

"Start with, what the hell is going on and how long has this been," she paused, sputtering a bit in anger as she indicated the door that held the to unconscious bodies. "Like... like this?!" Cid looked up at Yuffie, and was silent. More silent than one could usually ever expect from Cid.

Yuffie had grown up quite a bit since the old pilot had last seen her, but she'd been out of contact with almost everybody since the revolution had started in Wutai ten years ago. A civil war. As far as he'd heard it it had been Yuffie that started it. It had been a cry for reformation by the younger people.

The old ways of Wutai had worked for years, and would continue to do so, but the young were restless and tired of not being given any responsibility for their future. Godo had become the enemy when he declared no one would retire the leadership until the mess with the planet was fixed. Before then there had been no problem.

Yet Godo was trying to draw the nation into isolation once more, when everyone else around the planet needed just as much help if not more. Yuffie didn't accept that and in a fit of rage, Godo had all the ships in the port burned. That was pretty much the last anyone heard of Wutai for seven years. It had only been in the last three years that everything had been resolved. A miraculously short civil uprising.

The rest of the world still had no idea what had happened on the island. It was unlikely they would know either, for quite some time. But one thing was for sure, Yuffie had become a force to be reckoned with, and had dropped some of her more lighthearted tendencies. Cid continued to say nothing.

"Why didn't you tell anyone about this?" Yuffie asked angrily, Cid winced. He hated angry women. Probably why he'd kept Sherra around so long, she never got angry.

"Vincent knows" Cid said in his defense. Yuffie didn't accept it one bit.

"He probably knew before you. I'm going to get on his case later, he's almost as much to blame as you. But what I'd expect as something Vincent would do just because that's the way he is, is not something I'd expect of you." She said poking him as she continued. "You are not off the hook."

"Did you think that no one had the right to know? And you're housing a dead psychopath here! Except he's alive and well. He should have stayed dead. If it's not broken don't fix it, they say. You of all people should know that! Cloud is our comrade, in a way he's saved every last one of us at least once. Did you think that no one would want to be there for him? You have no right to keep Cloud's problems from us."

Cid stood up abruptly at that, and now it was he that was angry. She had no idea what she was talking about and he was going to let her know that.

"No right?" Cid said, raising his voice at her "No fucking right? I'll tell you who has no right, you with your preaching about being Cloud's friend, and wanting to be there for him, when you haven't even seen him once in at leas ten years.

"Do you think you can just march in here and ignore your absence? Do you think it will make up for all your neglect? You were the one that wasn't here when Cloud most needed you. Me, and Vincent, we've been trying to keep track of him this entire time, despite his wishes. And he's the one that's refused our help. So don't tell me you know what you're talking about." Cid paused for a moment, his voice falling quiet.

"And it's Cloud that keep us in the dark for nearly a year about Sephiroth being alive. Hell, we wouldn't have known at all if we hadn't gone out of our way to pry in his personal affairs." Cid thumped back in the seat "You shouldn't ask me what's going on anyway" he murmured "I don't have the slightest clue. It's Vincent that is steering this runaway train." He sighed and leaned back, pulling the cigarette case free from his goggles. He tapped the pack against his hand and opened it, flipping a single cigarette in the back row around before grabbing a different one and lighting it with a match. Yuffie was silent for a good five minutes before she spoke again.

"You may be right about me. But if nothing else, Tifa has the right to know if there's something wrong. I'm going to call her."

"I don't really agree, since she's the one that told him not to visit ever again, but you can do as you wish. I'm just the fucking pilot, I'm not going to be responsible for a goddamn thing anymore. It's none of my fucking business." He exhaled as he crossed his arms and slid down further into the chair. "It's what Vincent has been trying to tell me this whole time anyway." He waved Yuffie away, and she glared at him a moment before walking off. Nanaki walked out from where he'd been hiding in the other room.

"I'm sorry about this Cid," was all he said, could think to say. Cid just shook his head.

"No, I'm beginning to think the fault lies with me, we should never have pried in the first place. I shoulda just told Vincent not to worry about it." Cid sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 'I really think I understand now, why Cloud never told us anything. We're just a fat bucket of melodrama waiting to explode."

"We should have just let him take care of things himself. He'd been doing it for ages, after all... " Cid paused. "No I don't really regret trying to do something, I just wish things didn't have to go quite this mess."

"I also don't think Cloud will be happy to see us when he wakes up." Nanaki said, looking to the side a moment. "I didn't have time to assess things very much with all that happened between the time you called and when I got here. But there's definitely something weird stirring in the lifestream. I think we've got more than just social problems."

'What do you mean? Cid asked, sitting up. Nanaki shook his head and dropped it in defeat.

"I don't know, I just know it will probably be too late by the time we find out."

~ * * * * * * ~

"Why are you only showing me memories with me in them?" Sephiroth asked the man standing before him. His hair glowed like a halo in the light of the mako meadow and sky they were standing in. Sephiroth didn't remember how he'd arrived this time, nor did he care.

"Because they're the only ones that matter." Cloud said, looking away. "They're the only one's that belong to just me..." he finished with a whisper.

"So you know then" Sephiroth said, referring to Zack. Cloud winced.

"I've always known." He looked at Sephiroth "It's my way of running away." He paused with a sigh, looking down at his hand. "Sometimes I find it's easier to keep going forward. Because if I stop... I'll be left with nothing but myself, and I can feel everything again" He clenched his fist as he looked at it.

"That's why I wanted to be just a puppet. It was ok when Zack was leading me forward, but back then, when I discovered you wanted me, even if it wasn't for real, that I could be of some use to you, I just couldn't hold back" He dropped his hand then, looking up at the mako sky. "Zack never would have fallen astray so easily. Not to someone who was trying to destroy everything he loved, not even a good friend."

"You have a lot of respect for him" Sephiroth commented. Cloud shook his head.

"I hated him." Sephiroth looked surprised. Cloud gave him a sideways glance. "Don't get me wrong. He was my only friend, and he took care of me and watched out for me like a big brother... and that's why I hated him.

"He had everything I wanted. He was far closer to your level than I could ever even hope to become." He clenched his teeth for a moment as he choked on his words "Hell, he was closer to you than I could ever hope to become. And to top it off, everyone liked him, even when they were afraid of him."

"He had such charisma I couldn't help but be jealous. Being around him sunk me deeper into my own self pity than anything else in my life ever had." Sephiroth glanced over at Cloud's face only to see that his eyes were teary with frustration. He looked away.

"Then when he saved me later I despised him. He thanked me for stabbing you, and told me everything was going to be okay. Yet it was still him that got me through everything in the lab, he told me about the most pointless things at the most serious of times." Cloud let out a weak laugh before continuing.

"So when he died saving me, I just couldn't fight it anymore. I cried for him not to leave me and he came. I felt so guilty for hating him when he never did anything to earn it. So I just... died, there," he said placing a hand over his heart, and fisted it.

"I really did love him as a good friend. And he never knew how much I betrayed him. I just though he deserved to live more than I did, so I let him take my life, and he took it, thinking he was just helping me. In that case, maybe he was more of a puppet than I was."

"Cloud," Sephiroth started, Cloud looked over at him. "Forgive yourself." He said with a bit of steel behind his otherwise calm voice. Cloud looked away abruptly.

"You don't know what you're talking about." He said.

"Shut up for a minute and listen to me" Sephiroth said grabbing Cloud's face by the jaw and turning him to face him. Cloud tried to resist but the force of Sephiroth's look was overwhelming. He relaxed in defeat, turning the rest of him to face Sephiroth as well. Sephiroth dropped his hand from Cloud's face, after a moment of lingering there. He started speaking quietly,

"You can forgive me, so why can't you forgive yourself?" He held up a finger to Cloud's open mouth before Cloud could respond. "I've betrayed Zack, killed everyone close to me, to him, almost everyone close to you." He paused, looking deep into Cloud's eyes. "I let myself be led astray, betrayed my own image to all those than looked up to me. and even before I went so far as to try and become one with the world by destroying everything in it, I never did anything but hurt people, and you know that." He grabbed Cloud by the front of his shirt suddenly, startling Cloud. He pulled him close to a few inches from his face a he said angrily at Cloud.

"Yet. Still. You. See. No. Fault. With. Me. " He said enunciating each word with a shake of Cloud. "Let me be guilty, let me be at fault and take responsibility or I'll never be able to forgive myself." He slowly let Cloud go. "And for god's sake Cloud, forgive yourself. The only crime you ever committed was hating yourself to much to try to live." Sephiroth sighed as he stepped back. "Just... let it be for once Cloud. No one hates you, they don't even know you well enough to, and now that I know you better, all I can do is pity you." Cloud gave Sephiroth a sharp glare.

"Don't-" He started but was cut off by Sephiroth.

"It's not your life, nor your choices I pity, Cloud, it's your inability to accept your own existence, yet you can't even stand to hurt anyone enough to actually end it. You know people would blame themselves, and you'd never wish that on anyone, except yourself. You've stuck yourself in limbo, afraid to take responsibility for walking forward, and unable to run away."

"If I did this, if my wishing to end it all back then and you being the one I wanted to end it did this, I'm sorry. I can't change that though, nor can I say I wouldn't make the same choice. I'm sorry, and I already know you don't blame me. Hell Cloud, sometimes you have to blame someone besides yourself. I'll take that blame if it will carry some of your weight. If it will give you something to life for." Sephiroth closed the distance between them once more, having to look down on Cloud from the height difference.

"Cloud.... If you can't live for yourself." Sephiroth whispered pausing for a long moment in which he felt like he was drowning in Cloud's eyes. "Live for me," he said, grabbing Cloud's face abruptly but gently, kissing him fast, before even he could think about what he was doing. Cloud stiffened for a moment, but then started kissing back desperately, taking over the kiss forcefully and catching Sephiroth off guard, if he wasn't already at a loss for what was happening. Cloud ran his hands up the side of Sephiroth's face and dug his fingers into his hair.

They clung to each other desperately, trying to fall into each other, run away, meet everything head on... they didn't know what they were doing but they couldn't escape. Sephiroth found his face damp from the tears of relief and regret that were falling quietly from Cloud's eyes.


	12. Chapter Eleven: Not Close Enough

~******~

Cloud teetered of the the edge of consciousness and sleep precariously, warmth weighing down his eyes. Slowly sensations started to penetrate through his slumber, and he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Someone was above him, looking down. He felt no weight on his body, so they had to be standing. He realized that someone had clasped his hand in theirs. Yet something about the feeling wasn't familiar. He opened his eyes.

Tifa was leaning over him with a worried expression, the light shining from behind her head creating a disorienting blur. He unconsciously tugged his hand away without thinking about it, and regretted it after the hurt expression on her face.

Cloud sat up, immediately looking around the room, but not finding what he was looking for. At the disappointed look on his face, Tifa's face fell into worry. Apparently they knew what he was looking for and weren't to happy with it. He cut to the chase and spoke up.

"Where is he?" he asked abruptly. Tifa flinched and stood up. She looked over at Barret, who to this point, Cloud hadn't noticed was there, which was odd considering the man's size.

"If you're talking about who I think you are, we moved him to the next room over. Most of us wanted to sit in on you, but couldn't stand staring at the man's face without wanting to blow a few holes through him. He hasn't woken up yet."

"Woken up?" Cloud asked putting a hand to his head after glaring at Barret when he stated his feelings on their ex-enemy, well likely enemy still in their minds. "What happened, how long have I been out?"

"I don't know, those two won't tell me fucking thing" Barret said with a glower, his arms crossed

"Those two?" Cloud asked, completely lost now. He slid to his feet out of the bed and ignored Tifa reaching out to him. She dropped her hand.

"You don't even know that? Shit, what's the last thing you remember, how long have you been out?"

"I wouldn't be asking if I had any clue, are you going to tell me anything at all or not?" Cloud said starting to sound a little irritated.

"Cloud." Tifa said from beside him, putting her hand on his arm. This time he jerked away intentionally.

"Don't. Touch. Me." He bit out to her, not even touched by her horrified look. He vaguely wondered why it didn't seem to affect him like before. There had been many a time he couldn't stand the thought of hurting her. Now he was almost indifferent. He almost paused to apologize out of habit, but when he realized what he was doing, he gritted his teeth and held it back. He was trying not to do things just to please people.

"Fuck, Cloud, what happened to you" Barret mumbled. The door opened a moment later, followed by the entrance of Cid Highwind.

"Oh, you're awake" Cid said. "Well I guess that doc isn't completely incompetent" He murmured to himself.

"Do you mean..." Cloud searched his head for a name for a moment. "Louis?" Cid looked at him a little surprised.

"We'll you seem chipper. What happened to the arguing I was hearing a moment ago?" Cloud was about to answer when Cid just continued on without waiting for one. "Yeah Louis, that jackass said you would probably be waking up soon. He said the other one would still be a while."

"He's alright?" Cloud said quietly. Cid nodded solemnly, not knowing what to make of Cloud at the moment. "The last thing I remember is him falling," Cloud continued, "and I know I jumped after him, but after that is a whole bunch of jumbled dreams." Cloud ran a hand into his hair and left it resting there for a moment. "Though I feel different." He murmured, more to himself than anyone else, he let his hand fall over his mouth and rest there as he seemed to fade off in thought.

"I'll take you to him now if you want, Vincent's been keeping an eye on him since we switched you two to different rooms." Cloud nodded, walked over to where Cid was waiting, and followed him out of the room.

Cloud entered the room a little tentatively, strangely nervous about seeing the commander once more, not wanting to see him in anything other than his best condition. He forgot to remember to breathe when he looked over to the bed Sephiroth was laying on and it looked as if he were just dreaming quietly there.

Cloud glanced to his side in question and found the scientist who perpetrated all this standing there. Louis gave him a curious look, through the glasses on his face, and Cloud returned the look with slight confusion. Louis slipped the glasses off of his face with a sigh.

"You're right" he said to Cloud, though nothing had been said yet. "It was silly to think I'd look like a more respectable scientist with these on" He finished looking at the glasses a little forlornly, like a kid having to put away a favored toy.

"You have a real problem with sincerity" Vincent spoke up, and for the first time Cloud noticed he was in the room. He looked over to see Vincent was almost blending into the shadows in the corner completely, he was situated in a chair, and far enough from Sephiroth not to be considered watching closely, but there was an intensely solid aura about him that spoke volumes of how long he'd been sitting there. Cloud stared at him. Vincent returned his gaze.

"Ah" Louis laughed a little nervously "I guess can't handle serious situations well unless I'm behind a computer monitor or other lab equipment." he paused for a moment, noticing the heaviness of the air in the room.

"I don't know when he'll wake up." He said softly to Cloud before he left the room. "It could be a day, or indefinitely, I think there may be something wrong but I can't find anything." He closed the door behind him.

"Is what he says true?" Cloud asked after he was gone. Vincent shrugged.

"He would know best." Vincent answered. Cloud nodded and walked over to sit on the bed, facing Vincent. He leaned back on his arms, making not to disturb the sleeping Sephiroth and looked up at the cealing. He sighed.

"So you guys came after me huh," He looked down at Vincent "Why?" Vincent was silent for a moment as he looked at Cloud.

"Why couldn't you trust me?" Vincent said quietly, sounding vaguely hurt. Cloud looked at him for a long moment, then turned away to peer down at Sephiroth's soft face.

"I.. don't know." Cloud replied, he looked at Vincent again. "Everything just-" Cloud shook his head and fell silent.

"You seem attached to him," Vincent commented. Obviously Cloud's answer, or lack of one had been enough. It was more likely he had figured he wouldn't get one. Cloud's body jolted lightly at Vincent's observation. He looked away, almost a telltale sign of guilt.

"Why would you think that.?" he murmured calmly, though his voice almost threatened to waver. Vincent gave him a long hard look. Cloud was still looking away. He couldn't resist a look at Sephiroth anyway, while his head was turned towards him. Something in his face changed, and it was a change that Vincent easily noticed.

"It's the way you look at him" he made sure to say while Cloud was still gazing at Sephiroth. Cloud sighed and looked calmly at Vincent.

"You're right." he admitted without hesitating. "Sometime, somewhere, and likely far before I ever even met any of Avalanche, he was already an important part of me I couldn't let go."

"I know" Vincent said. Cloud went on.

"In fact, I didn't want to kill him, didn't want to have anything to do with Avalanche when the goal changed to hunting him down, despite the fact that I was the one who drove the whole thing forward."

"I know."

"I... wasn't exactly.. me, at the time"

"I know," Vincent said again calmly, and Cloud finally stopped, looking at him inquisitively.

"How?" He said, followed by a pause of confusion "When?"

"I've suspected for a while now. Some things you'd do wouldn't match with others. There was always a slight hesitation in response when anything came to Sephiroth, and after that you'd go on as if you'd never even noticed hesitating yourself. It was pretty suspicious." Vincent looked at Cloud for a moment, Cloud was turning slightly pale.

"I never had any proof of anything though. Not until after the end. You retreated into yourself, and then at times I saw the real you, but as if I were looking through tinted glass. As for your feelings for Sephiroth, when suspicious things started happening, with the lab, and the rest, almost one of the first conclusions you came to was that someone was trying to bring him back. It sounded almost, hopeful"

"And of course, there was many an occasion you almost outright told me so, moments where you couldn't stand the hand fate had dealt him." Vincent sighed as he glanced beyond Cloud to Sephiroth. "Of course, people with pasts like ours often pick up on things that aren't obvious to others, so it may have all started as just a supernatural intuition."

"It's the first time I'd ever really seen him up close. I've had a lot to ponder these last few days." He glanced at Cloud with a painful smile "You might not have noticed, but the resemblance is, striking." Cloud's eyes widened as he stared at Vincent, looked at Sephiroth, then back at Vincent again.

"You... Then....It's" He stuttered in disbelief. Vincent leaned forward resting his arms on his knees.

"I've never had any proof. All in all, I doubted it could be possible." Vincent said as his hair fell haphazardly around his face, his cloak wasn't currently there to keep it somewhat tame. He sounded bitter, and it was the first time Cloud had ever heard that in Vincent's voice.

"But it was right there the whole time, I just didn't even want to look to see it. I slept through his entire life, I wasn't there at all when he was growing up. How could I have known, or not known what his relation might be. What gave me the right to decide before I even knew!" His voice was growing more agitated. his hand was fisted and his knuckles had turned white. Cloud stayed silent. In all the years he'd known Vincent, this was the first time the man had ever spoken so much.

"I..." Vincent trailed off for a moment, his voice calming down, but he was obviously still upset. "may in fact be the one who has done the most grievous sin. For god's sake Cloud, I never even knew my son, he never... even, knew me...." There was a pause of silence, and just when Cloud thought he'd finished he went on.

"She... He was my son too, how could she do it... all this time, and it was Lucrecia that had betrayed me. I don't know if I can ever forgive her, taking away my life, I could forgive.... but damning the life of our son... I would have never imagined, still can never imagine why she did it..." Vincent stopped this time, and Cloud noticed, despite the fact that Vincent's head was tilted downwards, that he was crying.

He stood and cleared the few feet of distance in two steps and knelt beside him, wrapping his arms about Vincent's slumped form. Vincent was tense Cloud refused to move, not demanding though, just giving. When Vincent relaxed in to sobs, he stated to hold a little tighter, and murmur to him.

"Shhh Vincent, I can't tell you to let it go, but, that room was locked from the outside, Hojo had no intention on letting you out, and I doubt he planned on anyone doing it in his lifetime. There was nothing you could have done. The only thing that matters is that you would have if you could." He rested his head on top of Vincent's, trying to transmit the emotion he put in those words. He wasn't just trying to half-heartedly comfort him, no Vincent's was a pain he knew all to well, just like he knew it was one the dark haired man didn't deserve.

"....But what if I wouldn't have?" came a faint whisper from the man. Cloud tugged Vincent toward him suddenly and the dark haired man tumbled further into Cloud's comforting embrace.

"You would have. Absolutely. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, you would have." He said, demanded, not letting any other option even be available to Vincent. Vincent fell silent then, the silent sobs subsiding. He let out a long and painful breath and all the energy seemed to leave his body, worries, cares, everything. He was as vapor, settling to the ground.

And for the longest time he stayed that way, finally falling asleep of exhaustion in Cloud's arms. Cloud carried him to the bed and placed him next to Sephiroth, on top of the covers for lack of a better option. He was willing to bet that Vincent had not slept for a very long time.

He sighed and sat in the chair, contemplating the secret that had just been divulged to him. Vincent had tried so hard to be the oldest one, but it seemed he'd never really had the chance to grow up completely. He hadn't been troubled from childhood like Cloud had, he still expected things from the world, somewhere, deep in his heart.

Granted he'd been a Turk, and therefore a killer, and not exactly an innocent, but Vincent was still one of the most pure hearted individuals he'd ever known. He had already known that darkness dwelt in the souls of men, he'd been one of those shadows himself. But now Cloud was sure he'd probably been somewhat naive in his standing, maybe he'd even been a bit confident. Yet he hadn't been jaded. Not like Cloud.

It was only one, extremely fucked up event that had sent everything hurtling out of anything familiar, Cloud supposed, and he didn't think Vincent had ever completely grasped the entirety of it.

He'd likely been up for days straight trying to process everything. In the end, he had just needed to say it aloud, to make it real. But Vincent's mistakes weren't for lack of trying, just lack of choice.

Cloud rubbed his eyes with his thumbs, as he rested his head on the rest of his hands. He felt almost depraved for feeling refreshed still. He'd only woken up two hours ago and so much had happened, or so much had happened while he'd slept so it seemed. He hadn't even begun to touch what the hell was going on. He had no clue. He felt like he should be exhausted as well, and he sat there, envying the two sleeping on the bed, and watching over them, somewhat peacefully.

Father and son, side by side, yet they had never been introduced, nor did they even know their position beside each other. It was the first time any such sight might be witnessed, and Cloud was the only one to see it.

The strangest part though, wasn't any of that, but the fact that the father was the younger looking one. And it would stay that way, because no one in this room currently was likely to age at all.

At least they weren't alone.

~******~

Cloud placed Vincent on the bed in an adjoining guest room, not wanting Vincent to be startled by waking up next to someone else. Nor did he want anyone else to walk in on the scene.

Afterwards, as he closed the door gently, he decided to search up something to eat. He wasn't sure how he'd been kept fed, and he really didn't want to know, but he did feel as if he hadn't eaten in days. It was possible, as a Soldier, to survive for longer than a normal person without food, but it would often lead to aftereffects he'd rather avoid.

If he didn't eat for a day or two it wasn't much, but he would start tasting mako on his tongue, and although it wasn't anything horrible to taste, it held bad memories. And if he left off without eating for extremely long periods, the malnutrition would drain the color from his skin and the mako would leave a faint green tint. Not to mention he started to run a fever from the accelerated flow of mako through his system.

He doubted it would get that far if he left off for a couple hours, but he enjoyed eating, and he needed a break. Especially from anything that would remind him that he was less than human, less than normal.

He still wasn't used to the lack of noise, of conflict in his head. It seemed that Zack had left, though Cloud hoped nothing bad had become of him. It gave him a lot more time to follow a constant thought, and to arrive upon conclusions faster than he felt necessary, or even healthy. He had never really had the chance to fully experience the differences in his body since the experiments had been done to him.

It was as if he was born anew, yet he had full control over his coordination. It was more like he'd come home to a house he'd left empty for a long time, that someone had left pristine in anticipation of his arrival.

Cloud was surprised to find a drink and snack machine on the ship. Cid had always been telling him he wanted one put on each side of every floor. He seemed to have done it after all. Cloud leaned his head haphazardly against the buttons, not caring what he got to eat. As he heard the machine churning something out, he carefully selected hot coffee to drink, being a lot pickier when it came to what he was drinking.

He waited for a moment while it poured the hot liquid into a cup, sitting down at the small round table nearby. The machine seemed to be warming up. He sighed and stared at the blank white wall. Some parts of this ship were still only sparsely furnished, since Cid only spent time near the deck of the ship anyhow. It seemed he'd gotten the machines in though, and tables to rest at, so it was enough. There was two wastebaskets between the machines, one labeled 'recycle!' Cloud looked at the sign in amusement. It really was too classic.

He heard footsteps on the ground down the hallway, but he ignored them. As they passed by, they paused for a moment, but Cloud didn't want to deal with anyone at the moment, and he seemed to have made it apparent enough because the footsteps continued and passed behind him, fading off as they traveled in the direction of the rooms.

He stood up and got his coffee and the snack, an oatmeal cookie, which was acceptable, and the hot coffee had cooled just enough to drink. Granted he didn't notice heat as much a he used to. He stood to drink it, opening the wrapper with one hand and taking a bite out of the cookie.

Yet something was creeping up at the back of his mind as he ate. Halfway through he started to question it. Who would have paused and not said anything? He hadn't particularly given off any sign of wanting to be alone, but..

While it could have been the crew, someone who didn't know him, they were all upstairs. And, it hadn't been Nanaki, nor Barret, for ether of them would have been discovered by the sound of their footsteps.

Why was it bothering him anyway, except that.... He'd left Sephiroth alone. Alone on a ship of people who might find it easy to take the chance to kill him. People who hated him. And how better to do so than when he was asleep. Vulnerable... Alone.

It would explain the hesitation without comment, they had in fact, been heading towards the rooms, and if he thought about it, the footsteps weren't without purpose, no meandering walk... He crushed the cup in his hand, dropped the cookie and took of running.

He didn't want them to know he was coming, though his fears were more instinct than reason, it was enough for him.

As he burst into the room, the door was already open, and there was indeed someone standing over Sephiroth. A long, brown haired someone. A girl someone. Tifa froze as she heard him come in, but didn't turn to look.

She was situated so it was hard to tell what she was doing, but a glint of metal and he saw it, a knife poised above his throat. Cloud twitched, not wanting to move for fear of Tifa moving as well. His breath stopped.

"Tifa." he said simply. "What are you doing?" He finished slowly, precisely. She flinched at her name, unconsciously drew back to look at him, but her hand moved as well, and a bead of crimson red started to well at Sephiroth's throat. She'd cut him. The knife was out of the way.

Cloud snapped.

He cleared the distance in point five seconds, slamming Tifa against the wall with brutal force, her head would have snapped back if the wall hadn't been in the way. In the movement, the knife in her hand carved an angry line up the length of Cloud's arm. He didn't notice.

Tifa dropped it, unable to hold on anymore, blood circulation being cut of from her arms from Cloud's grip, and the force with which she was forced into the wall. She was shaking, genuinely terrified, to taken aback to struggle or break free. Cloud couldn't see anything but red now.

"What the Fuck, did you think you were doing," He said as his fingers dug in more, the indentations turning white. Her feet Couldn't touch the ground. She wondered if Cloud had always been this strong. Had she never noticed? No, because he'd never touched her in anger... she'd never seen him angry. She tried to choke a response past her fear.

"I.." She barely gasped "He... supposed to be dead... evil.. you.. he, my father... Controlling you, you've changed... not, Cloud anymore..." She sobbed the last few words, tears falling desperately from her eyes in torrents.

Cloud dropped her abruptly, and she didn't have the strength to stand. Her knees buckled as she hit the floor, and her arms were tingling from the sensation of blood rushing back to them. she clutched them, seeing the blood splatter from his arm.

"You're hurt," she said, still sniffling. She reached up to grab his hand, maybe to tend to his injury, but it never got that far. He smacked it away with a stinging force.

"Don't. Touch. Me" He said, Tifa flinched, it was the second time he'd ever said that to her. It still wasn't sinking in though, she refused to let it sink in.

"Don't look at me, don't speak to me. Don't," he paused, clasping and unclasping his fist. "Even breathe near me. I don't want you here, I don't want you in my life, I don't want to ever see you again, not once, not ever."

He looked down at her, and his eyes were a dark blue, from anger. He looked away, raising a clenched fist in front of his face, the blood from his arm fell faster from the pressure.

"You have a life, a husband, children. Go to them, leave me to my life, however..." He looked down at her out of the corner of his eye, without moving his head "Miserable, lonely, or wrong, or otherwise demented it may turn out." He dropped his fist and relaxed his body. His back turned to her completely now.

"If I ever see you near Sephiroth again" He said calmly, and the voice was somehow scarier than the anger from moments before. "I'll kill you" He finished quietly. Tifa paused for a moment, than struggled to her feet and ran out of the room, sobbing.

Cloud sighed, closing his eyes. The blood still rushing to his head, and adrenaline flowing, made a thudding sound in his ears, and he failed to her the sound of sheets ripping... Yet he felt a presence in the room after a while, and he turned.

Sephiroth was sitting up, holding out a long strip of cloth for him to place his arm, waiting patiently to me noticed. When Cloud turned to face him, he spoke.

"You're bleeding," was all he said and Cloud took a step forward, holding out his arm to silently allow Sephiroth to wrap it up. When he'd finished, Cloud dropped his arm.

"So are you." He said, and Sephiroth just shook his head.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Who is He?

~ * * * * * * ~

She brushed past him as she rushed down the hallway. He barely caught her at hurry she was in to escape. He grabbed her arm, but his grip slid on what seemed like blood. He finally caught her at the wrist and held fast. She kept going and jerked backwards from the halt, stumbling backwards.

"Are you... bleeding?" Cid asked, looking at the smear of blood on her arm, where his hand had slipped. She shook her head, not looking at him.

"Cloud..." she started, yet trailed off.

"Cloud?" his grip tightened a little on her arm. She winced and he noticed there were dark bruises forming on her upper arms. "What did you say... do to him" Cid asked a little angrily. "I let you on my ship, but that was under the stipulation that you only verify that he was okay." He pulled her back a bit towards him

"You told me you only wanted to see that he was okay." Cid said to her, waiting for her to look in his eyes. She finally did, and he didn't like what he saw in hers. A look of disgust crossed his face.

"You didn't..." he started, shaking his head. "For god's sake I don't want to know what you did, but I expected better of you."

"It was your choice to move on, get married, have kids, whatever. But it's not within your right to involve yourself with him as anything other than a friend. Grow up, you've got your own life now, and he's not a part of it." He shoved her arm away and she stood there for a moment, looking tormented. She ran off suddenly afterwards, not looking back.

"Shit," Cid said grabbing a cigarette and lighting it. "Shit...." He repeated as he turned around and slowly headed towards whatever lie ahead. Sometimes he hated being the captain. This was one of those times.

~ * * * * * * ~

Something on the planet stirred. Something foreign, something familiar, something that was a part of everything, yet older than anything alive on the planet currently. It smelled blood. An unnatural blood.

Her blood. It's blood.

But it was too weak to do anything on it's own. It had been destroyed by the arbiter of chaos. A signal of the virus that it had thought dead now. But it wasn't. This called for drastic measures. There were creatures weaker than that source, signals of those contaminated but not a threat.

It would be a simple matter to call on them. Weak of mind, feeble of soul.

All there was to do was wait till it surfaced. The tainted one. Or was it ones? It was difficult to tell, the source was relatively weak and seemed split. But whatever, it, they were, they were to be eliminated.

~ * * * * * * ~

"Why did you take so long to wake up?" Cloud asked. Sephiroth looked at him for a moment. He blinked.

"Was it long?" he said in response. A moment of silence from Cloud.

"No... Not really." Cloud sighed "A lot happened though"

"I could see that." Sephiroth said with an amused expression. He glanced at Clouds bandaged arm. He crossed his own arms and walked a few feet across the room. Yup, Cloud thought. As distant as ever. Was he pretending nothing had happened? Had anything happened?

"You don't even know the half of it." Cloud said. A little exasperated and frustrated. And tired. He felt relieved, like chains had been removed from him, like he was free for the first time. But the lack of tenseness, the lack of struggle left him suddenly tired.

"Do you remember anything yet?" Cloud asked the elder man.

Sephiroth was standing facing away from him. Although he was wearing nothing more than jeans, his hair covered his entire back, and only his arms and shoulders were left looking bare. And the outline of his body was visible. He was a little slimmer than he had been. Probably from however long they had been sleeping. Cloud still hadn't gotten an answer on that.

"Some" Sephiroth answered vaguely. Cloud frowned at his back. His frown must have been felt because the corners of Sephiroth's mouth turned up visibly.

"Are you always so vague?" Cloud said irritated, more that he didn't know if Sephiroth remembered the 'dreaming' at all. He didn't doubt it had happened, since now that he thought about it, he never could himself have imagined that up. Sephiroth had turned around while he was thinking, and was looking at him.

"What are you so bothered about?" Sephiroth said. Cloud looked at him, still irritated. He was changing the subject with a valid question. That wasn't fair. If he tried to turn the subject back, he could be easily accused of trying to avoid the question. So he shrugged.

"I'm not really" He said in an obvious lie, relaxing a bit and falling backwards on the bed he was sitting on to avoid his answer being questioned. Thankfully he wasn't.

~ * * * * * * ~

Sephiroth was a lot less composed than he seemed. He was even downright disturbed. But he had more experience than he had hair on his head when it came to keeping people from knowing what he was thinking. The only exception had perhaps been Zack. But that guy had a way of getting under anyone's skin with his overly familiar attitude. And he'd been more perceptive than his denseness suggested, which was the only thing that had really caught him off guard.

That and maybe he had needed to be close to someone at the time.

But in this case he was too close to afford being caught. He felt as if he had stepped into a fire and there was no easy way to escape. He remembered everything fine. Probably too well.

He resisted the urge to put his hand to his mouth. It had been more than a kiss, there in that dimension of, well whatever it was. It hadn't been just a touch of body to body, because it would have been impossible there.

Any motion signified more than it looked, and they didn't have a physical form there. It had been a melding of emotions, and for the first time he felt what someone else felt.

There was something hidden in Cloud. An emotion, a feeling he feared to even admit to himself. Cloud likely didn't even know there was anything hidden there. It had been intense, the emotion that Cloud had towards him.

No, it hadn't been anything so weak as romanticism, or love. It was pure and simple need, and that's what made it frightening. Cloud needed him the way no one had ever needed anything from him except for what Jenova had claimed she desired. And that hadn't turned out so well.

He didn't fear that it was a lie. There were no lies when it came to soul. Nothing had been held back. Cloud had desired, in that moment they had lost theirselves, to meld with him, to know him, to become one with everything he was. Not in the sense that he had with Zack, not where he'd just given up existing.

No it was because he existed that he needed Sephiroth.

And that wasn't even what Sephiroth was disturbed about. No Sephiroth had accepted the concept easily, as Cloud had faded from his arms into awakeness. He'd had the time to digest what had happened in that chaotic realm of mind. It had come to him easily, the awareness that he'd truly found Cloud.

Cloud was pure and simple. A being that simply needed to be needed, to be wanted. Not for what he could do, or where he could do it, but for what he was. And now Sephiroth was likely the only person who would ever know that. He knew more about the essence that was Cloud than he could ever begin to explain. And it was a responsibility he could accept.

But the thing that bothered him was... how much did Cloud know about him? Had Cloud seen that moment of weakness in his soul? His one fatal flaw?

It was something that Sephiroth kept so close to him that he wouldn't dare be ignorant of it, for fear someone might stumble upon the truth by accident. Sephiroth had one weakness that could easily destroy the entire foundation of who he was and what he was know to be.

One fundamental flaw, one crack in his concrete persona. The desire to ultimately submit. A wish to fold under pressure, to let go, and that when he fell there would be no crash landing.

He didn't know what it was, whether he wanted someone to catch him, or whether he wanted to fall into something, but his secret desire was sin enough not to want to wonder.

So distant he would stay, standing on safe ground, until he knew how much of the ground closer to Cloud was also safe. What had he seen in those moments they had both been so open to each other?

~ * * * * * * ~

The Cloud in question was oblivious to the worries that passed through Sephiroth's mind. Oblivious as well to anything other than guesswork on what had happened. When he had awoken, he had forgotten the last few moments of the 'dream'. Not the moment where Sephiroth had kissed him, or the feeling of weightlessly falling. Just the moment he would have touched the soul of Sephiroth. He'd been drawn into waking moments as soon as he'd 'found himself'. And unfortunately for him, or perhaps fortunately, he had achieved his goal when he just gave in.

If he had known what Sephiroth was thinking about, he likely could have told the man that it wasn't unusual. That it was a part most people accepted about themselves after a while. He'd had his share of giving into his desire to give up. Hell he was a prime example of what happened.

No it wasn't the weakness in determination, or the small voice that whispered fears to you that mattered, but how you acted despite it all.

But none of this could be told to Sephiroth, because Cloud didn't know.

So Cloud was left lying across on the bed, his legs hanging over the side, staring at the ceiling with an equally quiet Sephiroth standing far enough away that they weren't a part of each others silence.

This was how the situation appeared to Cid as he walked in the room. A slightly confused look crossed his face as he surveyed the inhabitants.

"Where's Vincent" He asked after a while. Cloud sat up.

"Vincent? He's sleeping in the next room. He fell asleep and I didn't want to leave him in the chair... and the bed was already taken." Cid nodded and shrugged a bit as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"Ah, well that's fine, I was just a little worried with what happened a moment back and all..." his gaze wandered to Cloud's bandaged arm, and he made a slight hmph as a few things vaguely clicked together. He still didn't really want to know though, so he didn't pursue it.

"Vincent?" Sephiroth asked, not recognizing the name, nor having a face to place with it. He frowned slightly as he looked between the two for the the answer.

"Ah!" Cloud said, as if suddenly realizing that Sephiroth wouldn't know. "He's your f.. ah er..." He slumped a bit "My friend," he said finally for lack of a better answer. Cid gave him a surprised look with furrowed eyebrows that said 'you knew?' Cloud cleared his throat.

"Well uh, it's not for me to say really. You'll meet him when he wakes up probably." Cloud said, still feeling a little bad about his slip up.

"Aa" Sephiroth sounded, a little disgruntled, and looking at Cloud with suspicion. The room fell silent shortly after. An uncomfortable silence permeated the air that both Cid and Cloud seemed loathe to interrupt. Sephiroth alternately, seemed absolutely at home in oppressing silences. Like he was bred of them, or they of him.

"How long have we been asleep?" Cloud finally worked up the courage to ask. Cid looked at him in relief, mentally thanking him for the interruption.

"Ah, lesee" Cid said lighting up another cigarette before the other had been completely finished. "If I count back.... we brought you to the ship... then that stupid doc got dragged in by Vincent, and then..." he trailed of murmuring. He paused to take the last drag of his cigarette, and to place the one he'd just lit where it had been. He ground the old cigarette out between his fingers.

"If my memory is correct, on the long side of three months. Maybe more" Cid grinned a half grin, the other half of it keeping the cigarette in his mouth.

"Three months?" Cloud asked a bit incredulous.

"Ah, well, the doc kept pouring down this strange concoction down your throat, using gag reflex to make you swallow it. He said we wouldn't need to feed you. I have no clue what was in it but it was glowing and a putrid grey." Cid winced "Good thing you guys were unconscious for that bit." Cloud looked a little pale as his hand fell to his stomach. Sephiroth caught Cloud's expression and made one short laugh.

Cloud straightened up right afterwards, his face turning a little red with both embarrassment and annoyance.

The moment though, was interrupted by the creaking of a door. Not the one Cid was leaning on, but the one to the adjoining room. Vincent stood in the doorway. All faces turned to him, and once again, silence fell over the room.

"Vincent, I would have expected you to sleep a little longer" Cloud said with a faint smile on his face. Once again being the one to cut though the silence with harmless words. Sephiroth looked at Cloud out of the corner of his eye. Something about the expression the blond was giving the newcomer bothered him, but he couldn't place it.

"I wasn't as tired as I might have seemed." Vincent said softly. Sephiroth turned to look at him once more, and his eyes widened slightly. He narrowed them slightly afterwards. What was this?

"Thank you for carrying me into the other room and putting me in the bed. I would doubtless not have slept as well had I slept in your lap." Both Cid and Sephiroth twitched at that. The smoker more obvious in his movement than the other. Sephiroth chose to ignore it, in light of this other curiosity. Something else that disturbed him.

"Why.." He started to the dark haired man "Do you look familiar when I don't think we've ever met?" He asked, sounding a little terse, and a little confused. As much as could ever be heard in Sephiroth's voice anyhow. The man with the red eyes turned his head to look at him.

"Well, let me show you" He said with a soft smile, holding out his hand. Sephiroth looked down at it but didn't take it. Vincent dropped his hand and sighed. He turned and started waling towards the door he had come through. Sephiroth followed, and so did the other two, a short distance behind.

They all found themselves standing in the bathroom between two bedrooms. Cloud and Cid were both confused. Sephiroth was just waiting. Vincent walked over and stood directly in front of a full length mirror. He unwound the wrappings about his head and his black hair fell to a length only half as long as Sephiroth's.

Vincent motioned Sephiroth to stand beside him. Sephiroth complied, and Vincent nodded towards the mirror.

"Do I still look familiar?" Vincent said quietly. Sephiroth stared in the mirror. The resemblance wasn't the kind you automatically recognize, but other than the color, the hair was the most instantly striking feature, it fell the same way, and only because Vincent's was cut haphazardly and shorter did it look lighter as it framed his face. The weight of Sephiroth's hair pulled it a bit more straight.

But that alone would not be enough to make a resemblance. Their eyes were different. Vincent's were softer, a bit rounder in shape. But the shape of their cheekbones and jaw was matched. And their body build was similar, now that Sephiroth had lost a little of his muscle.

Sephiroth frowned. And his gaze settled once again on Vincent's face. He was smiling, gently, with a true happiness, although a soft one. Then he no longer needing to be convinced when the next thought that crossed his mind was:

'Is that what I would look like if I smiled?' his frown deepened. He looked at Cloud, who was blank but full of some form of apprehensiveness in his deceivingly unrevealing expression. What was he supposed to be looking for.

"Who are you?" he asked. Maybe more demanded without raising his voice. "It's not likely that you're a clone, you don't look enough like me" he narrowed his eyes at Vincent. "But there is no denying the resemblance." He met the gaze of the other exactly, for there was only a one inch difference in their heights, in Sephiroth's favor.

"What are you" he asked, rewording the question.

"A close friend, at one time, of your mother's" The pseudo-reflection replied, something in his eyes showing a sadness and loss, that reminded Sephiroth a bit of an expression he'd also seen on Cloud. Just one more thing that bugged him about this man.

Just how close were those two? There seemed to be an invisible rapport between the blond and the black haired man, and Sephiroth's hand itched for his sword, perhaps for the means to cut it. He didn't pause to consider what he was thinking though. His earlier misgivings about staying away from Cloud lost in the moment.

"Jenova?" Sephiroth asked, still not making any sort of sensical connection. Vincent shook his head at the assumption.

"Lucrecia." He said softly, almost mournfully. Cid slumped a bit, and Cloud tensed a bit. Both of them apparently sympathizing with the pain that name brought to the pale man. Sephiroth couldn't prevent the slight tick that appeared in his jaw for a second. What ties did they have, this group, What had they gone through that would create this air, this understanding.

Why hadn't Cloud showed him anything about them when he had been shown Cloud's important memories. Had it been a lie? Since they seemed important to Cloud, why. didn't he know about it? Sephiroth resisted the oncoming urge to punch the face in front of him.

He knew there was something he was likely purposely overlooking. Something he wasn't getting due to the fact he was stuck on this little, yet big annoyance.

"Let me think about this." Sephiroth said calmly, barely succeeding in nonchalance. He walked out of the room with composure, and he could feel Cloud's worried eyes on his back. He paused and looked at Cloud, who had been about to follow him. Sephiroth gave him a look that dared him to try, without completely turning his face to the shorter man. Cloud stopped mid step. Sephiroth continued walking out, looking for somewhere with open air.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Prodigal

Cid swore. Cloud ran a hand through his hair and slumped onto the rim of the bathtub. Vincent just smiled softly at Cloud, telling him in that silent way not to worry. Cid swore again.

"Shit you two, you got to stop doing that silent 'I know what you're saying' bullshit with each other. It drives me, and other people too I suspect, crazy!" He glared at them and stormed out of the room with out a pause to look back.

"I'll be on the bridge" He mumbled as he left, lighting a cigarette on his way. Vincent stared at the door after he left, for a moment.

"Aren't you worried?" Cloud said calmly, his voice sounding a little upset anyway.

"Things will happen the way they will happen. It's something that took me almost a lifetime to learn, but I understand that now." Vincent said in reply. Cloud nodded, pretending to understand, and almost doing so to some extent, but for the most part he was almost entirely confused. Vincent smiled at him sincerely.

"Cloud, I think, from now, you'll never have to feel lonely again." Cloud blinked at Vincent, now completely lost. Where the hell had that comment come from?

~*****~

Sephiroth stood on the small alcove deck that was really small only in comparison the the rest of the ship. The sun was just starting to set, and if he stood near the edge of the deck, one might almost imagine that there was nothing around but empty sky. It was a refreshing feeling, the wind wrapping around his body, and sending his hair snapping haphazardly through the air. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine fingers running through it.

Sephiroth frowned. He was not even remotely content at the moment, despite the peacefulness of the scenery. He was notably frustrated at being left out, or at being what he considered left out. How long had he and Cloud been traveling together? Had it been almost a year now?

Well, it had at least been long enough for him to have gotten to know Cloud better, and it had bothered him greatly to realize he knew nothing about the man more than what he himself had seen wandering through Clouds mind.

And he had seen nothing of these people aboard the ship.

Had Cloud hidden things from him? Was it more than just a coincidence that he'd only witnessed memories of Cloud being alone, or with him or Zack?

He wondered about the woman, but only out of curiosity, he didn't feel at all threatened by her presence as he did about the black haired man. 'Vincent.' It was hard to be threatened by someone that Cloud had nearly killed for touching him. There had once been something more between them, it seemed.

Sephiroth reached for his coat pocket, searching for a cigarette, then he sighed remembering that he'd quit long before his life had gone to hell. About a year before the Nebelheim mission. He must be really stressed out to have forgotten that.

He only did that when he was feeling a little violent.

A hand next to him held a cigarette out. He eyed it and then looked at the man holding it. The pilot. He'd known of him when he was with Shinra. He took the cigarette and let the Captain light it.

"Did you ever make it into space?" He asked softly. Cid winced.

"Barely. No thanks to those Shinra bastards." Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, but didn't inquire any further. He looked back over the deck into the brilliant hues of the setting sun.

"They're not like that, you know" Cid said as he lit his own cigarette. Sephiroth resisted reacting, the feel of the cigarette calming down his nerves a bit. It was surprising how soothing bad habits could be.

"You seem to be quite a perceptive man." Sephiroth said nonchalantly. "Why do you think it's important?"

"Because it would bother me if they were. And I thought that they were because they seem to have some close bond together. I only found out different recently." Cid sighed. "And think me strange all you want, but I figured you might have the same worry since you didn't seem to even want to listen to what they trying to say."

Sephiroth blew out a smoke ring just to see if he still could. He turned around and leaned against the railing, resting his elbows on either side of him.

"Well you're correct in your assumption that I didn't want to listen to them. Or you for that matter. You all seem so chummy I didn't want to intrude" Sephiroth said sardonically. He was probably giving away a lot more than he wanted to by not maintaining his usual cool attitude, but He didn't think it would get him anywhere in this situation. Cid scratched the back of his head in slight discomfort.

"Yeah well we've been through a lot." Cid replied. He looked up at Sephiroth and met his glare straight on. "But you may be unaware that, no matter what he may have been through with us, or how close we've become, e never told us anything about himself."

"It seems to be a habit of his" Cid said as he leaned on the railing, facing outward. Sephiroth turned his head towards him. Cid frowned.

"Well that's not entirely true. He told us about you. But sometimes he seemed to have trouble keeping his facts straight. He once told Vincent that he wasn't who we thought he was, but didn't elaborate much on that. Knowing Vincent, the damn corpse didn't even bother to ask. He's entirely to sensitive towards the feelings of others." Cid said with frustration, running a hand through his hair and grabbing another cigarette from the pack he stuck in his goggles. He lit it with a heavy sigh.

"They're really quite alike you know, those two, which I suppose is why they seem so close."

"Aren't they?" Sephiroth said, sounding slightly amused. It was an illusion, and Cid probably knew that as much as he did.

"Well, they tell each other secrets like girls." He paused " Well, not quite that bad, they more share things silently. You can feel the connection between them." He looked at Sephiroth for a long minute. Sephiroth looked back, wondering what the 'old man' was thinking. 'Don't think too hard' Sephiroth thought at him 'I've experienced more than you ever will' He didn't know quite why Cid's appraising stare was bothering him quite so much.

"Now that I think about it" Cid said suddenly, causing Sephiroth to start slightly, he covered it by shifting his weight. "You're probably the reason they have such a connection. They both feel they have something to make up to you." Sephiroth frowned in confusion.

"What do you mean by that? Why Vincent?" He asked, frowning, waiting for an explanation. Cid looked at him surprised, cigarette hovering shortly from his mouth as his hand stopped in front of it.

"You mean you haven't realized it yet?" Cid said a bit incredulous. "Vincent blames himself because he's the one responsible for giving you life." Understanding dawned across Sephiroth's face after a moment of absorbing the comment.

"And he regrets that." Sephiroth said. Cid dropped his cigarette, then fumbled to catch it, giving up as it burned his hand. He shook it off as he gave Sephiroth a sideways glance.

"You don't have much faith in mankind do you." Cid accused. He sighed. "No Vincent doesn't regret giving you life, he regrets not being able to stop Hojo from taking it." Sephiroth frowned at this.

"We found him in the cellar of the Shinra mansion. In a crypt no less, He only agreed to go along with us in the first place because Cloud mentioned your name."

"I often wonder, if even then, he knew that Cloud had gone through the same experience as him."

"Same experience?" Sephiroth asked, already somewhat knowing what to expect as a grimace crossed his face.

"Yeah, Vincent had been a human, and a Turk before you were born. Lucrecia was a scientist working under Hojo. I don't know what he did to her, that Hojo, but she left Vincent for science, for an experiment that would cost her life. Vincent tried to stop her, Hojo.. objected. And Vincent hasn't aged a day since. He's constantly plagued by nightmares, and has to fight of the demons that now possess his body." Cid sighed again.

"And this he had to deal with all because he came with us. Up until that point he was locked behind that door, unknowingly only steps away from the 'secret' laboratory both he, and Cloud had been subjected to." Sephiroth frowned, knowing exactly the place he was talking about.

"I would suggest you not look at the notes. Cloud got the worse of it then he was there with Zack. Nothing seemed to effect the Soldier, but Cloud, Hojo made sure to write down his every scream. He was dying when Zack pulled him out of there. I wouldn't even have known about any of it had Vincent not told me, when he was trying to convince me to go after you and Cloud." Cid frowned and mumbled "Of course we didn't know for sure it was more than just Cloud we were going after at first. Or at least I didn't Vincent always knows more than he says, the bastard."

Sephiroth was silent for a long time. Just looking at Cid. Cid seemed to get uncomfortable after a while. He ground out his third cigarette that he'd lit sometime when Sephiroth hadn't been paying attention and turned to walk away.

"Anyway, that's the way it is. Take it however you want." Cid shrugged "Don't bother to worry too much about my babbling, it wouldn't me good if you brought it up to either of those two. I only told you for your own understanding. I don't want to be the one that betrayed their trust, so don't apprise them of the fact." Cid waked off, closing the heavy door behind him with a loud clunk. Sephiroth stared after him, wondering what he should say when he saw Cloud next.

Wondering what to think when he saw his 'father' for the 'first' time.

~*****~

Cid sat on the bridge, arms crossed over his chest, one leg flung haphazardly over the other, and a frown worn comfortably on s face. It had only been fifteen minutes since he left the one time General on the deck. He found himself wondering if the pale haired man was still there. He shook the thought out of his head. He'd decided not to interfere.

Of course it was always when he was trying to get one problem off of his mind that someone came to him with another problem. Why the hell did they always pick him. Just because of that one short while he'd led the whole damn team while Cloud was out of it.

As for the problem, well that was the asshole standing right in front of him. Professor L. as he had decided to refer to him in his mind. Mostly because the dip-shit had asked not to be called professor. What did he want now , Cid wondered. So he asked.

"What the fuck do you want now." Damn he was surly. Well he didn't care. Vincent wasn't around to give him that 'be nice' look. Louis didn't look even the least bit surprised. In fact he was getting a 'well I don't like you much either' look back from him, which made the corners of Cid's lips turn up a bit sadistically. It was nice to be hated sometimes.

"Well," Louis said blandly "I thought you might want to know that we may have a problem on our hands soon."

"Problem?"

"Yes, a problem, you know something that complicates things and makes life generally less enjoyable?"

"Save the sarcasm and spit it out, Asshole"

"Asshole, what an intelligen-" Louis paused at the glare he got from Cid. He cleared his throat. "There's been some unusual mako movements across the planet."

"And this means what to me?" Cid said, slouching a little further into his chair, trying to look as dark and foreboding as possible. This was the last person he wanted to have what would likely be a long and complicated conversation with.

"Just listen for a minute" Louis said starting to get a little frustrated "I haven't even gotten there yet."

"Well get there already, Don't waste my time telling me you've got more to say." Cid said, knowing that by acting like this it was likely dragging out this conversation even longer. At the moment he didn't care. He was somewhat jealous of the attention Sephiroth got from the 'moody twins.' He didn't hate the man, or envy him. He was just being jealous.

Kind of strange how alike those two were, one having long straight dark hair, pale skin, the other with fluffy short blond hair and tan skin. Cid's eyes widened as he realized that he had completely missed what Louis had been saying for the last few minutes.

Louis was staring at him with a raised eyebrow. Cid coughed.

"Uh, could you repeat that? I wasn't listening." Cid said, trying to avoid sounding too embarrassed.

"I noticed" Came a dry reply. Louis sighed "As I was saying, If you had been paying attention to recent news, reports of supernatural homicides have gone up greatly." Cid adjusted himself so he was sitting up strait once again. He leaned forward a bit, chewing on the end of a match.

"What kind of supernatural" Cid asked, seriously. It was probably no time to let his prejudice ignore the importance of what Louis had to say. The man was far from stupid, he wouldn't bring this up if it wasn't important.

"That's the thing" Louis said "There haven't been any real witnesses. Only the mess of the body is really left. The only thing that's been determined is that it's likely not human, and whatever it is, if it doesn't slaughter the victim right off, they die before help gets there due to massive mako poisoning."

"Hmmm" Cid said. "And where is this happening?"

"That's the thing. It's almost worldwide, though most notably in Old Midgar, and one other place." Louis sighed. Cid raised an eyebrow.

"In Nebelheim, the entire town was wiped out." Cid stood abruptly.

"What did you say!"

"In Nebe-"

"I heard you, I heard you" Cid said as he interrupted him. He grabbed the match from his mouth and in one motion pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "But what the hell does this mean..." Cid trailed off, breathing out a cloud of smoke.

"I wonder if it has to do with the strange way the Lifestream has been acting lately," a third voice said. Cid started as he looked around, he didn't see anyone. He looked down.

"Oh it's just you." He said.

"That's the first time in a long while that you didn't recognize my voice" Nanaki said with amusement "But I understand your preoccupation. This is serious business."

"The lifestream huh, you mentioned that earlier didn't you." Cid said, settling back into his chair.

"I also mentioned it. Though with different words" Louis said "And I was just about to get around to that"

"You sound like you're pouting that you didn't get to say it first" Cid said calmly. Louis glared at him.

"This is no time for jokes." Cid kept it to himself, but he suspected Louis just couldn't think of any comeback. He hadn't hesitated to joke at bad times in the past.

"If you don't mind Doctor, please go on." Nanaki said politely. Cid didn't think it would really be possible for anyone to get mad at Nanaki's manners.

"Ah," Louis said, slightly embarrassed "No you go ahead, you probably know more about it" Cid smirked, something he usually didn't do, but this occasion deserved it.

"Well, the voices of the planet have been in chaos. If my grandfather was here I'm sure he'd be able to tell us what was wrong, but it seems that I'm to be all that's available. I can't quite understand them myself, but they seem to be conflicted about something." Nanaki looked up at both the doctor and Cid. "If I were to make a guess, I'd say that the lifestream is fighting with itself."

"That was kind of the impression I got" Louis said with a frown "But it doesn't really make much sense does it. The planet seems to be trying to heal itself, as is usual, but parts of the stream keep surging of for moments with a violent intent."

"Is there anything we can do about it?" Cid asked after a moment of silence. Both Nanaki and Louis shook their head.

"Not while we still know so little" Louis said.

"Well, then I'm going to have to ask you not to tell anyone else about it yet. If you learn anything more, come straight to me, we'll figure out the best course of action when we can." Cid said standing up and pacing a step or two. He turned around to face them again.

"For god's sake, don't tell Vincent or Cloud right now. They've got enough on their mind."

"And Sephiroth?" Louis asked. Cid paused for a moment, then waved a hand in dismissal.

"If you think it necessary." Louis shook his head no. Cid nodded. Nanaki looked at Cid curiously.

"It still bothers you that people come to you first, doesn't it" he asked the captain as Louis left. Cid looked down at him with a sigh.

"Yes, yes it does."

"Well, whether you like it or not, I have to say, you're really the best one for the job." Nanaki closed his eyes in a feline smile. "Believe it or not" he said softly "I think you do an even better job than Cloud."

Cid frowned as the cat slunk off, twitching his tail with entirely too much humor.

"Damn feline," he murmured to himself as he walked over to the window looking out onto the landscape below.

~*****~

Sephiroth looked at the two as they were in the room, just as he'd left them, except Cloud was sitting down. He looked at Cloud, and then at Vincent, and understood what Cid had been saying. They were so close, even ten feet apart, that they could be two halves of one whole.

But there was a sort of companionship and comfortability in the air that spoke more brothers than lovers. Not that that had been the issue. He looked at Vincent. Had this man really, regretted not being there for him? He looked at the dark haired man with confusion. It was true that if he dyed his own hair the same color, the only real difference would be height and eye color. They didn't look alike enough to be twins, but they could easily be mistaken for brothers.

"Can I talk with you?" Sephiroth said to Vincent. Vincent nodded. He looked over at Cloud. Cloud got up and left the room with only a slight backwards glance. He seemed rather worried. Sephiroth went to the opposite door the Cloud went through.

"I don't exactly feel comfortable chatting in a bathroom, he said without looking to see if Vincent was following him. The room had two chairs and a bed. Sephiroth ignored the chairs and sat on the side of the bed. Vincent slid into a chair and scooted it to face him.

"I take it you know my relation to you now?" Vincent said deceivingly plainly, but Sephiroth recognize the tone as more than interested, because it was a tone he himself used to disguise his feelings.

"I do" He said quietly. Vincent sighed.

"My story is a long, and complicated one, did you want to hear it?" Sephiroth looked at him for a long moment before answering.

"No." He said simply. Vincent looked a little lost.

"I don't know how to be a father." he said.

"You've never been a father, did you expect any different?" Sephiroth said. Vincent flinched at what was an unintentional insult.

"I...."

"Don't bother" Sephiroth said sounding colder than intended. "I only ever knew my father to be Hojo, and it became to be a despicable position. I wouldn't ask you to fill it." Vincent looked despondent at that. Sephiroth noticed.

"Then, there's no hope for it..." Vincent said a little sadly. Sephiroth sighed with a bit in exasperation.

"Don't get me wrong. I didn't say I wanted nothing to do with you." Vincent looked up at him again, his face still pale. "I just don't want a father looking over my shoulder. I'm quite too old for you to start learning that role now anyway." Sephiroth frowned. "And I have no intention on learning how to be a son." He said peevishly. Vincent smiled at that. And Sephiroth almost swore he heard a slight laugh.

"Then what should I be?" Vincent asked with a smile. Sephiroth frowned, because it was in his nature.

"A friend, It's something even I could benefit from learning how to be." He looked at Vincent. "And there's someone else I wish to be friends with, but I'm not sure how." Sephiroth paused. The silence was pregnant.

"Would you help me?" Sephiroth asked almost to silent to hear. It seemed to take a lot out of him to even attempt asking. Vincent, being ever so perceptive, and understanding his son probably more than either of them realized answered sincerely.

"I wouldn't even dream of refusing..." he said with a pained smile. Pained because he himself had once forced himself to ask someone those four hard words. It had been long ago, and it was no longer hard for him to do, but he remembered it better, because someone had been there, and had answered the same way.

Different situation, different time, different people. But did history truly repeat itself quite so much?

"I'm glad you have a friend where I didn't." Vincent said quietly... "Cloud would never betray you like mine did."

"I thought that you were under the impression that you were the one that failed." Sephiroth said, knowing what the man was talking about instinctively, even if he didn't know the details. Vincent shook his head.

"I am the one that failed. But she would have left anyway." Sephiroth was left not understanding at all as Vincent stood and left the room.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Villa del Sol

It was an odd feeling. Being around people again, that is. Surprisingly enough, Sephiroth had requested the change of pace. It was probably a good idea, there was a real loss of what to do after all this.

Everything was at some sort of a standstill. Cloud sighed. They'd gone through all that effort to recover Sephiroth's memory, and after all that, well, nothing had really changed, and he wasn't really exactly sure what Sephiroth did or did not remember now.

The only thing that was certain is he didn't seem to have ay interest in further pursuing his memory. Actually, Cloud hadn't asked. He just couldn't bring himself to do it. Since they'd woken up, and Sephiroth had witnessed him strangling Tifa, he was really nervous around the man. He'd seen a side of him that no one else had ever seen. It was a little disconcerting. And he'd said nothing about it afterwards.

Cloud's hand went unconsciously to the bandages on his arm. They were fresh ones, and he'd put them on himself this time, but he still could feel the kindness Sephiroth had extended to him back then.

It hadn't really seemed like kindness which was the strange part, nor did it feel like it had no meaning either. It felt as if he was being allowed somewhere he usually wasn't, and likely wouldn't be again. He couldn't really explain it.

But here they were, Costa Del Sol of all places. The town had really grown since he'd been there last. It was really amazing what could be done in only a few years.

It seemed that people had wanted to get away from the scars of the war, and a whole city's worth of people had moved into the town, making it a little less of a small tourist trap, and more of a big resort with city surrounding it. They likely wanted to move somewhere the air was clear, and they could watch the sunset from the beach every night.

Well whatever the intention had been, it was probably a far cry off now. No matter the era, or what the hardship people go through, there's always someone there to make money on it. And this was no exception. The city was being built both upwards and outward. Whoever had planned the development did a good job, going out of their way to bring in all sorts of shops an businesses to complement the amount of people coming in.

There was a main street and a downtown complete with coffee shops and clothing stores. The only part of the town left intact was the area by the docks and the beach. The concession stands were still there, and the bar as well, though both had changed management.

There was plans of building the abandoned train tracks in the mountains to connect from the city to the golden Saucer. It seemed to be a big deal since they'd heard about it within the first five minutes of coming into the town. The mako reactor had been torn down years ago, only shortly after the war by fanatical environmentalist.

Cloud looked behind him to the bar and the house that belonged to him, but he rarely visited. Not since all of avalanche had last been there.

"Does it hurt?" Sephiroth asked walking up from nowhere, indicating Cloud's arm. Cloud dropped his hand abruptly from where it had been resting on the bandages.

"Ah, no, I just...." Cloud paused, looking at Sephiroth a little oddly. "You...?" he said vaguely, but it was obvious what he was asking about. Sephiroth had a stack of bags and boxes that were only barely enough for his arms to handle.

"Oh these?" Sephiroth said. "Cid gave me a stack of cash and told me not to blow it all in one place. He told me you had your own, and that I wasn't supposed to spend a 'damned dime' on you. In his exact words" Sephiroth smirked. "Not that I had been planning on it"

"What the hell did you get?" Cloud said incredulously after a long pause. What the hell would someone like Sephiroth shop for anyhow?

"Don't ask." Sephiroth said simply. Cloud frowned as he walked over and unlocked the door of the condo. He'd always thought it odd that the previous owner had always left it open.

"Do you know how long they'll be gone?" Cloud asked as he held the door open for the encumbered Sephiroth. Sephiroth shook his head.

"No, though I don't imagine Vincent is too happy with being locked up in the closet."

"Locked up in the..." Clouds eyes widened as he ran to the closet and opened it, followed by a loud thump of a body falling to the floor.

It seemed he'd put up quite a struggle with all the chains and ropes they'd seemed to need to tie him with. He was gagged and looking very pissed. Cloud looked horrified. Sephiroth had to resist laughing, but instead helped Cloud untie the fuming ex-turk.

"How'd they even get in? I thought I had the only key?"

"You do" Vincent said as he pulled the gag off when his arms were free. "Cid's copilot seems to be proficient in picking locks."

"Really..." Cloud asked, not really expecting an answer. It was more that he couldn't help but say something in response to the bizarre situation.

"Don't tell me you're really all that surprised about this" Sephiroth said as he held his hand out to help Vincent up. Vincent glared at the offered hand and stood up on his own. "That captain was acting mighty suspicious before he left. And, he didn't seem to want to tell anyone where he was going."

"Really?" Cloud said, stopping suddenly when he realized he was repeating himself and likely sounding incredibly stupid.

"Yes, Really." Sephiroth said in reply.

"I didn't see you doing anything to help" Vincent said a little coldly.

"I just didn't find it very important" Sephiroth said with a smirk. "Besides I already know where they're going, and I'd rather be here." He finished smugly. Cloud attempted to punch him. And though his aim was true, Sephiroth's hand got in the way of his trajectory.

"So tell us then" Cloud said to him.

"It's not going to do you any good" He said closing his fingers around Cloud's fist and cracking his knuckles. Cloud winced.

"But if you really want to know, they headed off to old Midgar."

"Why wouldn't they tell us then?" Cloud said, once again, at a loss.

"That." Sephiroth started, using his grip on Cloud's fist to pull him forward and off balance, "I don't know." He thrust Clouds fist away from him, which combined with the lack of balance sent Cloud reeling back a few steps.

"Jackass" Cloud said simply. Vincent had stayed quiet through the entire exchange, but chose that moment to speak up.

"I'm going back to Nebelheim." He said plainly.

"Why?" Cloud asked, a little startled, shaking out his hand.

"I have a few things I need to take care of. I was going to have Cid drop me of there, so all I can think is there's a reason he doesn't want me back there."

"You sure he wasn't just being an ass? It's only a few weeks by chocobo. You can get there from here anyway."

"It is a possibility. I won't deny that"

"Well then stay for a little while. You need a break as much as I do. I don't think I could stand vacationing if you weren't going to." Vincent looked at him thoughtfully. Sephiroth saved the moment by slinging an arm easily over Vincent's shoulder.

"I do need a chance to get to know you better, I don't know if any other opportunity will ever pop up. You may as well take it as it comes." Cloud would almost have been grateful had sephiroth not sounded so condescending. He glared at the cynic. Sephiroth smiled back. Vincent dislodged Sephiroth's arm with a slight push.

"As much as I'd enjoy the company, there are people waiting on me there that have been left waiting for the last few months. Now that I know where you are," He said looking at Cloud "I can't shirk my other responsibilities. " Cloud's face turned to a frown.

"I can't even keep you here for a week?" He asked. Vincent shook his head. "I'll try to be back in a month, as soon as I take care of things I'll be free."

"Well then take my gold chocobo. I keep him at the stables in the Gold Saucer. It should cut a week off your trip." Vincent nodded.

"I'll do that."

"You don't have to drop him off on the way back, just ride him straight here" Cloud's mouth twitched slightly at the corner. "His name is Meteor" He finished, purposely not meeting Sephiroth's eyes. Sephiroth guffawed. Something neither of them ever expected to hear from him so they couldn't help but look. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at them and coughed, keeping a straight face. Cloud shook his head.

"I'll stay for the evening. We can eat out somewhere if you like." Vincent said. Cloud nodded.

"Alright. I know a good place... I haven't been there yet, but I know the owner."

Vincent left after dinner, leaving Cloud alone with Sephiroth. Something he was rather apprehensive about, despite the fact that he hadn't expected Vincent to be left behind, and despite the fact that he'd already spent months alone with the SOLDIER.

This was different though, this time Sephiroth knew who he was, knew who Cloud was. Sephiroth had been quiet the entire way home from the Restaurant. Not that he was exactly the most talkative type, yet, there was something strange about his silence.

"Is there something wrong?" Cloud asked as he was pulling out his keys to unlock the door to the villa. Sephiroth glanced down at him.

"For a second I thought I felt..." Sephiroth shook his head, looking away again "It's nothing, just a bad memory." Cloud frowned. Sure that wasn't all it was, but it was unlikely he'd get a better answer.

He sighed as the key clicked in the lock. It had taken a little jiggling to do and Cloud was pretty sure the lock-picking job the Captain's assistant had done could be thanked for that. He'd have to remember to charge Cid for a new lock. Sure he had plenty of money himself, but it was the principal of the matter.

"I'm more tired that I thought I'd be" Cloud said as he walked into the house. The rooms weren't really separated, and although there was more than one bed, he still was a bit nervous. He sat on the edge of a bed that bounced under his weight. He looked around a little lost then stood up again.

"I'm going to bed" He said as he walked over to the closet. He glanced down at the boxes of what was likely clothes Sephiroth had bought before he opened the door. He grabbed a set of clothing to wear tomorrow and closed the closet.

He nonchalantly shed his shirt and started on his pants as he felt Sephiroth's eyes on him. He paused, and looked back.

"Is there a reason you're watching me undress?" He asked. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at him.

"There isn't much else to look at" He found himself unable to come up with a response. "Does it bother you?" Cloud just scowled at him and continued stripping down to his boxers. "I would think it would be an insult if I didn't look," Sephiroth chuckled. "And since you're sleeping in just that, It shouldn't matter because I'd see it anyway."

Sephiroth took the opportunity to shed his shirt while Cloud was looking at him disgruntled. Cloud walked off into the bathroom, closing the door audibly behind him. Sephiroth's laughter followed him there. He sunk against the door with a sigh and threaded a hand through his hair as he slid to the floor.

He'd only caught a glimpse of Sephiroth's naked chest, a lot less than he'd seen on other occasions, so why was his stomach fluttering so much.

It was bad enough that after the most recent trip into the life- stream, that the weight that was lifted from his conscience had left him with little on his mind other than the man who had been occupying so much of his time. He tried to think a few months back, to grasp at that mental barrier between him and the General, but, there wasn't even a wisp of it left.

He had found that only a week after he'd woken up everything that had happened had faded from his memory like so much of a dream. Why did his heart speed up every time he looked at Sephiroth now. Why was it so hard to think of comebacks anymore? He stood up and turned the sink on, splashing water in his face hoping to clear his mind.

Sephiroth grew quiet shortly after Cloud disappeared into the bathroom, thinking back on that nostalgic sensation he'd felt as they traveled through the town, It had came from a side street, and it had only lasted a moment, but it felt as if an echo of him, a sigh or a shadow had called his name. Yet something felt wrong. His very cells had tingled with the sensation of Jenova, but, it didn't feel like it was pulling him, not like before. It was more like a little mosquito buzzing in his ear. It had been so faint that even putting this much thought into it was likely over-reacting.

There was no way he'd tell it to Cloud, who obviously hadn't felt it because he had a feeling the blonde would have been a great deal more freaked out by even such a small thing.

He sighed, sitting down on the left-hand bed just as he heard the bathroom door click open. He shifted his expression back into an amused grin, not wanting Cloud to notice his odd mood again. The warrior was entirely too perceptive about him. The only way he could fend off Cloud's prying seemed to be to taunt him until he just got fed up.

Not that that wasn't fun on it's own, Sephiroth's mouth twitched up a bit more at the corner. Cloud looked up at him tiredly. And he really did look tired. But at least he'd lost that 'deer caught in headlights' look that he'd worn before he rushed into the bathroom. Sephiroth vaguely wondered what that had been about anyway.

Some of the hair around Cloud's face was damp, and falling down when otherwise it would have stuck up. Even wet it looked soft and he found himself wanting to run his hand through it. It hadn't been that hot of a day, and the evening was cool, so Sephiroth wondered why he'd felt the need to splash his face with water.

He also wondered why Cloud had been bothered by undressing in front of him now, when earlier (months earlier) he hadn't cared less. Was his regained memory enough to cause such changes in Cloud's behaivior? or was it something else?

Somewhere in his thought wanderings he realized that Cloud had finished walking over and was standing in front of him where he'd been for the last minute or so.

"I claimed that bed." He said dully. Sephiroth's eye twitched as he suppressed a thought that would just have caused way to much trouble had it been allowed to be finished. Sephiroth said nothing for a moment, and neither of them moved.

"Oh?" Sephiroth responded. "What a coincidence. I claimed this bed too." Cloud just glare at him. He seemed to be in one of those stubborn moods of his. One that never failed to amuse Sephiroth when he remembered back to how submissive Cloud had been as a cadet. Something he'd likely developed on his own after interaction with Zack.

Zack hadn't been stubborn, he'd just been oblivious. Oblivious to the possibility that everyone couldn't always get what they wanted. Good old obnoxious, squeeze into everyone's business, Zack.

He wasn't really mad at him for hating him anymore. He had killed Zack's love interest after all, and well. Neither him nor Zack had been in any sort of position that it could have been resolved without violence.

Cloud seemed to have decided to ignore him because he crawled past Sephiroth and slumped onto the bed, pulling the covers over him. Sephiroth looked over at him. He seemed to have fallen asleep right away.

Or that's what he would have liked Sephiroth to think. He was entirely too tense, despite the fact that his eyelids were closed lightly over his cheeks. His breathing was normal, but a bit too regular even for sleep. And having watched Cloud in his sleep before, he knew he usually slept with his limbs thrown akimbo, on his back.

Sephiroth sighed and got up, going over to the other bed in the room. Though he was tempted to call the boys bluff, he was pretty sure it would scare the hell out of Cloud.

Sephiroth was jolted awake suddenly, his heart thumping erratically and his lungs caught in his throat, with no real idea as to what had happened. He looked over to see Cloud tossing and turning in the bed next to him. He stood up, feeling a bit apprehensive. He sat down next to Cloud on the bed, for some reason completely awake. Cloud looked flushed, as if maybe he had a fever.

He put a hand to Cloud's sweating forehead, it felt almost icy cold, but with the contact his thrashing seemed to calm down a bit. He took his hand away, and a sound of protest came from the sleeping man. Sephiroth looked down at him. What was he dreaming?

Cloud opened his eyes, but it took only seconds for Sephiroth to realize he wasn't awake. He lifted a hand up blindly towards Sephiroth, fingers clawed into an unnatural grasping position. They paused before reaching him, as if Cloud couldn't see him. His eyes were glazed over.

"Cloud," Sephiroth whispered to him, hoping to break him out of this strange trance. Cloud flinched at his name, dropping his hand, then raising both slowly to the sides of his head as he curled in to a ball and shook back and forth.

"No.... not Cloud, not... don't have a number.. where's my... failure....puppet...." He said, alternately chocking on the words or whispering them. Sephiroth grabbed Cloud and pulled him onto his lap, holding the quivering man to his chest. Cloud seemed to sink further into himself, and into Sephiroth's hold simultaneously. That's when he felt it. The presence of the tainted lifestream's grip on Cloud. It didn't feel like the rest, it didn't feel like the calm confusing morass he was used to. It almost seemed to have a murderous intent.

"Let him go" His grip tightened on Cloud as he spoke up, his resolve firm though he didn't know whether it would work or not. He felt the air in the room unwinding, a spiral of receding energy. It seemed that it had worked, and Cloud was starting to relax in his arms, his eyes still open but he was still asleep. Just as he thought it was over, something made one last stab at Cloud, and then coiled back when Sephiroth was in the way. Sephiroth sighed and looked down at Cloud whose eyes had drifted half closed. Cloud looked up at him and for a moment, he thought he'd woken up, his eye's were lucid.

"Re..u..n..i..on" He almost sighed out and his eyes closed as his body felt completely slack. Sephiroth had to struggle to catch the weight. He frowned at the now peaceful looking Cloud. After a long silence only one word filled the air.

"Fuck."


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Shadows

Cloud woke up with no noticeable recollection of what had occurred the night before. In fact, his mood was strangely light, energized even. Something Sephiroth couldn't quite remember ever attributing to the usually stoic man. Sure Cloud had quite a sense of humor, and often fought back when any sort of verbal fight was instigated. But he was a rather quiet person most of the time.

Not to say he was being loud. No, that would have been downright suspicious anyhow, but he was acting as close to a giddy schoolboy as Sephiroth could imagine him ever getting. After all it had been Cloud that had suggested their excursion to the Cinema to see a reinterpretation of the classic Loveless. Cloud had even grabbed his hand to lead him off to prevent any protestations.

Not that he'd really object to spending time with the boy he'd grown so fond of. Maybe even downright possessive of. He had to resist the urge to clamp on to Cloud's hand when Cloud had let go after being assured Sephiroth would follow him. But he had let go as well. No need to inform Cloud of the fact that his one time idol was struck with an infatuation of the boy that had once worshiped him.

Loveless, such a nostalgic memory. Had all that really been so long ago? He'd last been exposed to it seventeen years ago? It was still hard to adjust to the fact that he'd been dead for the last fifteen years. A lot had changed. It was even stranger to think he had been almost the direct cause of most of the change.

Sometimes all that happened back then, though he remembered it like it was yesterday, seemed like some long ago dream, just a figment of a sigh on the horizon of reality. Yes, Cloud was older than him now. Had more years under his belt. Yet, something about the entire situation would have Sephiroth easily placing them at about equal in the age/experience range.

He couldn't say he really enjoyed that though. He still liked to think of himself as the senior. In comparison, Cloud looked to be in his early to mid twenties, and Sephiroth could be easily judged in his thirties. And of course there was a definite height difference.

Not that either mattered. especially not when his own father was both shorter, and younger looking than he was. Sephiroth couldn't help but wonder if the three of them would live long enough that a ten year difference would seem like no more than a drop in the bucket. If some year down the line, the fact that Vincent was old enough to have fathered both him and Cloud, and that Cloud was born in an entirely different world and generation than him and his father, would seem unimportant.

For the most part it was already like that, but they were still human, and some habits were hard to break. especially when it came to classifying things for your own better understanding.

Of course all these thoughts were really unimportant, in light of recent events. Just a way to escape the truth that some dark plot was once again underway. Or maybe it had just never finished. Sephiroth got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach when he considered the fact that this 'second chance' of his might be the cause of it all.

What was it that was after Cloud. What connection did the lifestream still hold on him, and why would it save them, only to try to off them later.

~*****~

Vincent was not remotely pleased. Of course, who would be when you arrived home to find that some phenomenal slaughter had occurred while you were away. When and how it happened he wasn't sure, but one thing he was sure of, was that Cid had known about this. He really wasn't happy about it at all. What had possessed the airship captain to think that he wouldn't find out, did he think that Vincent would just forget about the town he'd called a tentative home for the last half century?

Or had he really expected Vincent to stay in Costa del Sol until Cid came back to pick him up, like a good boy. Vincent clenched his fists until one hand went white and the other screeched against itself like a fork on a chalkboard.

He had yet to look over the town, or for survivors, but the external damage was terrible. There was a stench in the air of rotting corpses, left to bake in the hot sun, because that's what it was. They littered the ground everywhere, this poor struggling town that had tried so hard to grow. The population had increased to almost three hundred, and it had to be almost half of that strewn about the streets.

Vincent steeled himself, and with a coldness he'd learned in his days among the Turks, strode forward to assess the damage. The method of death seemed to be the same, or fairly similar among most of the bodies, and whatever it was wasn't human.

~*****~

Cloud found the movie hard to pay attention to. Not that it was boring by a long run. No in fact, it was just entirely the opposite. I was one of those movies that ran so high on emotions that it was easy to get lost in. It was an epic classic that many people could identify with on some level.

If he didn't withdraw a bit from actively watching the movie, he might find himself crying over it. Now that was definitely something he never wanted to do in front of Sephiroth. Weakness wasn't something he wanted the man to know he had.

He didn't know why he felt this way, but he was still a little wary about the fact that the man suddenly remembered everything, and he was acting as if nothing had changed. It was a bit weird. (Of course Cloud seems to have completely forgotten about what happened in the dreams, conveniently. If only he knew how vulnerable he already seemed to the white haired man.)

Cloud fought back a sigh, not wanting to alert Sephiroth to his contemplative state. If he had looked over though, he might have realized that Sephiroth was already watching him. Cloud let himself sink into watching the movie again, drawn in after a moment. It really was a good movie.

The main character did a really good job. Cloud remembered the big story about how the actor had died during the making of the movie. That was always said to happen, but they never explained how they finished the movie without the main role. He'd never believed the story.

A movement caught his attention from the front row. There was a couple making out there, rather... enthusiastically. Cloud frowned. Didn't they know you were supposed to do that in the back row? Where people couldn't see you? It was damn distracting. Cloud glared at them, despite the fact they likely couldn't see him. They were four rows away after all.

Wait. Were they both guys? Cloud observed a few seconds, only long enough to figure out that they indeed were, both guys. He turned away, face completely red, only to realize his mistake of turning away towards Sephiroth. The bastard was laughing at him. Granted it was pretty quiet, but it was unmistakable laughter.

He turned the opposite way with a huff. Sephiroth leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"I would have thought you'd have been used to that after working as a cadet for Shinra," Though the words he was saying were pretty harmless, Cloud fought back a shiver from the sensation of Sephiroth's hot breath on his ear. He turned even redder, he was just sensitive after being subjected to such a display, he told himself, ignoring the voice in his head that was screaming liar, and whispering of the infatuation he'd had over the General as a cadet.

"Only the rumors I heard about you and Zack" Cloud responded in way of revenge. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at Cloud.

"Those rumors are entirely unfounded. You know who Zack was interested in anyway." Sephiroth hissed. Cloud pictured Aerith for a moment in his mind. And for a moment there wasn't a trail of blood streaming out of her mouth in his memory. He winced.

"Yeah, but that says nothing about you." Cloud said without really thinking about it. He then glanced at Sephiroth, his head tilted, as he realized it was true. It didn't say anything about Sephiroth. Sephiroth just gave him a sinister smile, and Cloud found himself looking away, feeling really unsettled. He wasn't sure how that answered his question or not, but he decided he didn't need to know. His mind made sure to add as an afterthought. He frowned as he started watching the movie again, having no idea how the story had progressed in the last three minutes.

~*****~

They walked out of the theatre together, an expected event since they had also walked in, in each others company. Cloud sighed, resting his arms behind his head as they walked.

"You want to get something to eat?" He asked a bit lazily. The end of the movie had been really fucked up, a fact he was trying to ignore. He wasn't even sure why he was so shaken by it. It hadn't seemed to bother Sephiroth, but the man had seen the movie before, he assumed.

"Sure" Sephiroth replied vaguely. "You got anywhere in mind?"

"Not really, I thought we'd wander around until something really jumped out at us." Cloud said with a shrug. That same damn shrug. Sephiroth frowned.

"You've really got to stop that" he said to the blonde.

"Stop what?" Cloud said, honestly clueless. Damn, was he unobservant or what. Or maybe it was just such a habit he didn't realize it.

"You're shrugging like Zack." Sephiroth said, wondering if Cloud would even get what he meant.

"Oh, That..." Cloud said with half a shrug, which he stopped midway. "Yeah Zack used to get on my case back in camp when I was a cadet. He was always telling me to get my own damn shrug." Cloud chuckled "I had this horrendous habit of picking up things from other people without noticing it. I don't know if it was an attempt to blend in or what..."

So it was from before Zack took over, Sephiroth thought to himself, content not to let it bother him... too much anymore. Why it bothered him for Cloud to do anything even remotely reminiscent of Zack he didn't know. Well, not exactly. He was jealous of the connection they had. Had, past tense, he reminded himself as Cloud went on.

"I once had a roommate who bit his fingernails. Nasty habit, it took me three months after I had a new roommate to quit. It hurts like hell when you bite them too close."

He was rambling, Sephiroth noticed. Quiet people were only so talkative when they were nervous. Cloud was nervous. He assessed him out of the corner of his eye, not wanting him to know that he'd noticed. Cloud appeared lazily comfortable at a first glance, but if one paid attention it was easy to see that he was entirely too tense for that seemingly relaxed pose to be even remotely comfortable. Sephiroth absently wondered when Cloud's arms would just fall off.

"And of course this used to happen even back when I still lived in Nebelheim, there was this one time I...Eyyaaaagggg" Cloud yelled and suddenly dropped to his knees clutching at his head.

Shit. Sephiroth looked around, when had they gotten so far away from the crowds? He found that they were traveling down a dreary looking alley, not a person in sight. Sephiroth felt nothing of the weird sensation from the other day. He took a step towards the shuddering Cloud, when the sound of a falling trash-can came from the far left. Sephiroth turned towards the sound.

A man, pale and almost leprous looking, stumbled out of the shadows, tripping over nothing. He was rocking back and forth erratically. Sephiroth felt bile rise to his throat at the stench of living rotting flesh. A ratty cloak that might have at one time been black, but was now covered in tears, dirt, blood and other unidentifiable substances covered him from head to foot. the face stood out like death, the grayish white contrasting with the rest. Then it hit him at once, that sensation, just as the man raised one tattooed hand to his face.

Jenova. It was weak but the resonance was there, it was unmistakable with that tattoo anyway. Sephiroth couldn't help but glance at his own hand, which was clean. The only testament that he himself was but a clone, ironically, was that he didn't have that telltale number. He'd gotten his own tattoo at the age of four, after they were positive he would live.

The number was still standing there, shaking feebly like a leaf in the wind. It took a step forward, and then another. Sephiroth stood absolutely still, assessing his surroundings. How could they have cone out without their swords, without a weapon of any kind. Granted they shouldn't need one, and this guy looked like he would fall apart any second, but his Soldier instinct was hammering erratically in his heart. There was a definite threat here, if he were to trust his instincts

He trusted his instincts.

With a quick movement that you could easily miss if you even sneezed, He grabbed a trash-can from the side of the alley, full of trash, and threw it at the number. At most it should have just knocked the man over but it wasn't an issue as Sephiroth's suspicions proved correct with the trash-can seemed to explode.

It was just the trash bursting out of the can that the number had half crushed just by catching it with one hand. This thing had an unnatural strength.

It started twitching, weaving back and forth body flopping unnaturally as if it's lower spine were a pivot point. Sephiroth frowned.

He'd have to do it. He looked over at Cloud who was clutching at his face with one hand, his eyes wide and his breath heavy as he hyperventilated. He had to try and finish this as fast as possible.

Sephiroth closed his eyes, reaching out with an ethereal hand he opened his eyes again to the second sight. It always made him really sick afterwards but there wasn't really any other choice.

He could see the lifestream's faint leylines as they flowed around the area, dull and practically dead in area's where there were buildings. Cloud was just a morass of energy, a vortex through which the lines were drawn to. Sephiroth could understand now, that Cloud was indeed too closely tied to the lifestream. It was insane that he even had a modicum of sanity left. But that wasn't what he was looking for, or why he was risking this.

He could feel his veins in his eyes starting to pulse. He cursed, he was usually able to do this longer. Well this body was new though, there was a likelihood his soul wasn't quite aligned right with the flesh yet. He looked at the creature intensely, and saw it's true form.

Jenova cells were weak and the soul was bound to it's flesh torturously, by just the parasites feeble will to live. It shouldn't be so strong. He narrowed his eyes. A tainted leyline was flowing to it, feeding it. He held out a hand mumbling a few words in the language of the ancients, and found that it came to him easier than it had in the past. He didn't dwell on it though, as he grasped the human soul trapped in the deadened husk and ripped it from the body. It protested only with a keening cry and the body fell, lifelessly to the ground.

He dropped the sight. It was dangerous to immerse yourself in the lifestream while still conscious of your body. He looked at Cloud. The residue of the sight allowed him to see that the leylines were retreating. They had been trying to tear at the Jenova within him. Dormant cells though they were, the planet still seemed to be trying to protect itself. His vision finally faded to normal. He flexed his hand, which felt faintly tingly from the brief Mako exposure.

He picked Cloud up and headed back to the villa, the blonde was unconscious and breathing normally. Which was more than could be said of Sephiroth who was pale and sweating profusely the entire way back. He set Cloud down on the bed and took a cold shower, refusing to collapse. He didn't want to have passed out when Cloud got up.

He threw up as soon as he got out of the shower. He'd start taking his sword with him from now on. He couldn't risk doing that again for another half year at least.

~*****~

"Shit, what happened. I blacked out again didn't I?" Cloud asked as he came to. Sephiroth was waiting in a chair by the bed. Sephiroth smiled faintly at him.

"No, you just passed out. Either you had heat stroke, or you just haven't been sleeping much lately." He said putting a hand to Cloud's forehead. Cloud frowned. Sephiroth's hand felt deathly cool. They both knew that with their constitutions, nothing short of supernatural forces could do much damage. Much less lack of sleep or heatstroke. He grabbed Sephiroth's cold hand.

"Are you okay Sephiroth? You look a little sick.."

"I'm fine" Sephiroth said with a frown. His expression said 'no questions.' Cloud couldn't leave it at that.

"I dreamt of you...." He said. Sephiroth smiled with a sort of cocky amusement as he looked at Cloud. Cloud didn't smile back. Sephiroth's face turned stony and unreadable again.

"What kind of dream?" Cloud sighed. He didn't really want to bring it up, but Cloud knew if he didn't say something, Sephiroth would pretend there was nothing wrong.

"I'm not as weak as you seem to think I am" he said with a bit of annoyance.

"I don't think you're-"

"I dreamt of the other you." Cloud said interrupting him.

"The other me..." Sephiroth said dully. Cloud gave him a sidelong glare. He ran his hand through his messy hair with frustration.

"Look, we've both got our problems." He sat up, sliding of the bed on the opposite side of where Sephiroth sat. He was clothed in just boxers and a undershirt tank top. "And I've spent my share of time denying mine." he started pacing across the room in silence for a moment, a silence full of things he wanted to say but didn't know how.

"But I'm sick of that." He stopped walking and turned to look at Sephiroth again. "I don't want to pretend I can ever have a normal life. Don't keep things from me."

Sephiroth was silent. Contemplative. A long moment passed and he said nothing. Cloud kicked the leg of the bed, splintering it and stared to storm off. He paused halfway out of the room and turned. Somehow sensing that the green eyed man had decided to speak.

"You already know anyway, don't you" The ex-soldier said. Cloud nodded. And sat down, cross-legged on the floor.

"Well I at least have a pretty definite clue." He rested his chin on his hand and stared blankly at a spot on the floor for a moment. "Because when I wake up, I feel the same sense of burnout and loss I used to when you used to pull my stings."

Sephiroth winced at the allusion to puppet comment he'd once made. It was hard to imagine ever thinking of the blonde as a puppet anymore.

"But..." Cloud continued and looked up at Sephiroth. "I was fully aware back then, of what I was doing." He winced after saying it, obviously not liking what the implications of that statement revealed. Sephiroth was silent. "That is, I remembered it when I woke up." Sephiroth didn't point out how contradictory those statements were.

"This time I feel like I completely blacked out. Last night too, though I'm pretty sure I had already been asleep anyway."

".....what happened, Sephiroth?"

"You... seem to be more sensitive to them than I am." Sephiroth said with some small reluctance.

"Them?"

"Jenova cells. Your own seem to react to them. I can sense them but they don't seem to affect me. It might have to do with the fact that mine are more... original." Sephiroth frowned, realizing how ridiculous that statement was. He was a clone, there wasn't much original about him. "Well, either way, every time you're near Jenova cells, the lifestream tries to.. attack you."

"I'm not quite clear on it yet myself." Cloud nodded.

"Thank you for telling me."

"No," Sephiroth shook his head "It was stupid of me not to" his mouth stiffened into a sardonic sneer.. "Jenova is something that's impossible to fight if you don't expect her..."

"... I should know. " He almost whispered. Cloud wrapped his arms around Sephiroth's head in a bold statement of forgiveness. Sephiroth stared for a moment, not having noticed Cloud getting up. He sighed and let the smaller man hold him.

He really should stop trying to classify Cloud as a boy, he thought to himself as Cloud sunk onto the bed, sitting in front of the chair he was sitting on, leaning his forehead against the taller soldier's in silence. Cloud's forehead was warm.

Sephiroth let himself go for the moment. This boy... man, he wouldn't mind sharing his weaknesses with. He raised a hand and ran it briefly through Cloud's hair. It was as soft as down, always. Cloud didn't seem to mind, but Sephiroth realized as he felt Cloud's breath on his face, that the brat had fallen asleep. He smiled to himself holding back a laugh as he let his own eyes drift closed in exhaustion.

As soon as Sephiroth fell asleep, Cloud opened his eyes, and carefully got up, moving the Soldier onto the bed. He placed an extra blanket over him, not wanting to disturb him by trying to slip him under the covers.

~*****~

Vincent let the cursed wing fold back into him with a slight wince of pain. He glanced absent-mindedly at his blood covered claw, willing it to fade as well until he could see the contrast of red against his pale skin. It had become easier and easier to control the demons inside him as the years had gone by, and it hadn't been long ago that he realized that they were just his own nightmares manifested by flesh. He'd been able to do the transformations in parts since then.

He tried to hold back the horror that was creeping through the back of his mind. The monstrous body parts that littered the ground around him weren't human. But they had been once.

He had known for quite a while now, that most the entire village was offspring of abandoned projects, and experiments by Hojo. But he had mistakenly thought that the traces were so faint it would never be anything but dormant.

No, there had been no mistake. There had to have been some sort of catalyst that had awakened them, mutated them. He didn't know what it was, but when he found it he'd make sure it regretted ever existing.

He collapsed to his knees in puddles of blood and guts. Just shooting them hadn't worked, he'd had to resort to letting this monstrous side of him out. Controlling it better now didn't mean he had become settled with the thought.

The transformations always left such a mess....

"God, they bled just as red as anyone else would" He choked on the words.

"Why did it have to be children." he said with a strangled breath as he rested his face in his hand, only to pull back, disgusted by the slick feel of the blood. A sigh came from behind Vincent. Vincent's head snapped up towards it violently, his gun in hand in but a second.

"That's why" A calm voice said "I told you to stay out of it" spoke Cid as he surveyed the damage. He dropped a cigarette to the ground, it hissed in the blood for a moment before he ground it out with his foot.

"Kid," He said "You're never going to stop having nightmares if you keep involving yourself in things you can't handle."

Cid didn't comment on the sight Vincent made, covered in blood and charred flesh. None of it his own. Vincent stood and stumbled into Cid pathetically, his head buried in the other mans shoulder. Cid patted the pale man on his blood matted hair, lighting a new cigarette with another.

He'd seen horrors that humans did to each other in war. Women and children mutilated by once, honorable men. This was nothing in comparison and he took it in with a steely stare, memorizing every detail of the mess, knowing, as he wrapped his arms around the shuddering man, that Vincent had done no wrong.

No, it was Cid that truly had a dark and dangerous history from the days of the war. There were things even Sherra didn't know about him. She had thought it had been kindness that had made him stop the launch, when it had really only been guilt. The Wutai War had been a war against humans, and there was no excusing the things they had all done to each other.

Vincent stained his clothes with blood, and Cid looked down at his slightly blood smeared hands. In truth he feared to touch the Turk, for fear of tainting his soul with his own sins. He hugged Vincent tighter instead, knowing what it felt like to need forgiveness and know that the only person you couldn't get it from was yourself.


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Stirring

Sephiroth shook Cloud abruptly awake. Cloud jolted up, confusion and disorientation written all over his face. His pulse raced. He looked around and slowly calmed down as he recognized his surroundings. His eye stung as a drop of sweat dripped into it.

"You were having a nightmare." Sephiroth said. Cloud blinked at him, ignoring the salty sting in his eye. His hair was soaked, and the sheets clung stickily to his body.

"I don't remember," Cloud said, not without some trepidation. "I don't think it was another blackout though." Sephiroth nodded, looking rather concerned.

"Maybe a shower will help?"

"Yeah. Yeah, maybe," Cloud responded, dragging himself out of bed and heading towards the bathroom. Sephiroth stared after him with a look of contemplation. Even if Cloud hadn't felt it was a blackout, there had been a surge of energy that had awoken Sephiroth before he had even heard Cloud screaming.

Sephiroth paced as the sound of the shower started from the bathroom. He was lacking in information. Information about Jenova, information about the lifestream. A part of him wished he had payed more attention to the insane mumblings of Hojo, maybe then he'd have a clue what he was dealing with.

Sure he had read an entire library of information on the ancients, but that was all misdirection, or as far as he understood it, it was. He cursed himself for overlooking this huge gap in his history. This time it wasn't a problem with memory, it was a problem with not knowing in the first place.

He wanted to find out more, without too much interruption.

Well there was no way of keeping Cloud out of it, not now, not when Cloud needed an eye on him the most. He'd talk to Cloud about it when he had settled down some.

He picked up the Villa phone and ordered in, not wanting to leave Cloud alone, lest something happen again. He pulled his sword out of the place it had been stored, he wouldn't be caught without it in reach.

Without hard facts, tactical planning and anticipation was impossible. Being caught unaware was a very real threat.

~*****~

He had awoken in the northern crater to the stirrings of her blood. The calamity of the skies, how she reeked. It lingered here, of all places, and the weapons didn't awake? Had the planet gone mad? Was the lifestream depleted? No, it had been years since he first sensed it, a decade perhaps, if he still had any concept of time. The stream of the planet hummed happily, healed in the care of the nameless and powerless humans.

At first he had thought it was just a phantom nightmare. He had many, tossing and turning in the flow of the lifestream, never quite part of it, but never separated. He could smell her, it came back, and left, and came and left. But then, just as the presence had faded he thought forever, to let him finally rest peacefully, it returned again, reeking twice as strong and traveling in paired stench. A fresh breed. She wasn't dead, she wasn't dead, somewhere out there, it had replicated. It burned his very essence with it's fetor, and he would sleep no more. Never again while it walked this earth.

He was infuriated that it would touch this site, the place the planet had already suffered so much. He remembered her silvered tongue and honeyed lies that had led his people to death like a piper leading rats. He had tried to warn them, and they had not believed him. She had locked him away, waiting, wanting to let him suffer the death of his people firsthand. It had hurt so much, the cries of the planet, the calls of the dead as they realized they had been betrayed. He was the ichor of their pain, the

He would have revenge himself, for the deaths she wrought. No planet of his would bear the mark of her children. His hatred was too strong for him to rest in the contented obliviousness of his long dead people.

He would awaken first, a vessel that could contain him. Ironically the tools he needed were just about handed to him on a platter by the very one he wished to destroy.

~*****~

Cloud stepped out of the shower, feeling a little drained, and a little refreshed at the same time. He threw on some pajama pants and slung a towel around his neck after touseling his hair into some semblance of dry.

He was surprised to walk out to what looked like a sunday brunch buffet. He stared blankly at the cantaloupe.

"We need to talk." Sephiroth said, offering him an empty plate. "It would be a good idea to have a full stomach.

~*****~

Louis tampered with the sample they had gotten from an outbreak in Midgar. Chaotic mutations of ex-shinra personnel erupting in a manner reminiscent of a laboratory escape in the days of Hojo. Mutations reminiscent of Jenova. It had been the Wutai Ninja and Nanaki that had chased it down.

News of similar outbreaks had filtered in from emergency radio communications from all over the globe.

Neo-Shinra had made short work of equipping the Highwind of adequate laboratory equipment. Rufus and Reeve worked well together despite their differences. Rufus was an ambitious man, but willing to adapt for what was necessary. It was no surprise that the people loved him. He was better with words than his old man had been, and willing to compromise to please the environmentalists.

There was no fault with the hardware. They had even given him the use of some very competent and ethical (Reeve's influence) scientific aides. Yet these readings couldn't be possible. He frowned. The Jenova cells were completely dormant. They were incapable of establishing their own energy source, lacking the required master cells to give the call for mutation. Just pumping raw mako through them would not awaken them. They sat like burnt out batteries, dead for all intents and purposes.

This did not bode well. What kind of sentient power would it take to replicate the control Jenova had over her progeny? And as far as he could figure, remotely? What could urge this kind of mutation, rejuvenation even, from those dead cells?

They were not going to like it when he would tell them he needed a live sample. Hell, he didn't much like it either, but what other scientist were left alive with enough knowledge of Jenova to see this through?

Lewis felt sick. They wouldn't be able to get any further information unless there was another outbreak. He was naively hoping that this could possibly be an isolated and freak happening. Unfortunately with his solid background in science, and understanding of nature, even supernatural nature, he wasn't able to delude himself enough for his hope to overcome the nausea.

~*****~

"So Jenova was a parasite from space?" Sephiroth summarized, not without some confusion.

"Well, it's all a bit dodgy. We don't have many accurate records going very far back, and what with the wars in the last few centuries, a lot of information has been burned. Even more was taken care of by Shinra in their own political interests. History is written by the victors." Sephiroth remembered his own experience with war and Shinra politics, and nodded, grimacing.

"Hojo was so sure she was an ancient. I remember though, from my time with her, that she didn't seem too concerned with the kind of things I would have imagined the ancients to be concerned with. I did read quite a handful about them." He paused, contemplating.

"An entire library, even." Cloud said, drolly. "What was it like? Following Jenova? I mean, I can imagine, but-"

"I'd rather not go into it now," Sephiroth lapsed into a pointed silence. "I will tell you about it some day, but with this on my mind, I cant handle reminiscing about my god complex days at the moment." His response was dryly mirthful. Cloud resisted the urge to pry more.

"I've given you the basics as far as I know them, but I can't help but think you're wanting to know something far more specific," Cloud said hesitantly.

"You're right. I want to know more about the mechanics, the scientific aspects of her and the way she operated on a biological scale. Operates, maybe." Sephiroth fell silent, thinking of the mutated clone in the alley.

"I wish I could remember what happened." Cloud said, making a guess at what Sephiroth was thinking. "I'm not really much help."

"I want a place to look into things where we won't be bothered too much. Somewhere that has more details on Jenova that aren't colored by Hojo's delusions," Sephiroth continued.

"There is a place up by icicle inn," Cloud suggested. "Ghast was up there a while with Aerith's real mother, Ilfana. I think he was pretty involved with all the experiments for a good long while. It's quiet up there, and people keep to themselves. I don't know what is still intact amongst all the break-ins and vandalism."

"I would appreciate it if we could go check it out."

"That is fine with me," Cloud shrugged. "If we're not in a real hurry, they have a ferry up there sometimes."

"I don't know if we are in a hurry or not," Sephiroth said curtly, biting into the until-now ignored food on his plate.

~*****~

Vincent stared solemnly out into the clouds from the bridge of the Highwind. Cid had been organizing the outbreaks in chronological order with colored pins in the map in the meeting room.

Yuffie had actually noticed it first, after hearing news from Wutai, making the association with the ease of a practiced tactician familiar with the geology of her home. The outbreaks started in the northern hemisphere, and were aggressively, sporadically making their way down to the south. They hadn't yet gone further than the equator.

He wasn't sure what it meant. He felt hesitant in assuming the source, whatever it was, came from the north. It was too easy to attribute just about anything to the northern crater, so much had stemmed from there already.

Cid sparked a match next to him, and lit what had to be the first cigarette of his third pack smoked today. Vincent gave him an admonishing glance. Cid was an untampered with human, those things were going to kill him.

"Yeah I know, I know," Cid said to the silent man, "put a sock in it, why don't you." Vincent looked back out over the horizon. There had been a fresh and delicate bond between them, an unspoken oath of renewed trust and friendship since the moment they shared at the Nebelheim.

A part of him had been tempted to sink back in the familiar coffin in the cellar. He wouldn't avoid the truth this time. He was a part of this, and would not again make the mistake of negligence. So much might have been averted in the first place, had he been more aware of his surroundings back then.

Vincent plucked the cigarette pack from Cid's grasp and lit one of his own. He'd always considered it a nasty habit.

~*****~

Yuffie had mixed feelings about riding on the airship. Well there were of course her issues with motion sickness, but those had lessened over time. Most of the issues were with old grudges, passed to her through the time she spent in Wutai, fighting for independence.

She had always had problems with Shinra, being a young child when the Wutai War had happened. She hadn't fully grasped the damage though, until she toured all of Wutai in her quest for a stronger nation.

Sephiroth then had been the monster that won it for him. It was strange that she felt no ill will for him now. He wasn't the General she had known of anymore. He lacked the edge that came from running a constant and grueling military campaign. She knew what that was like now, and perhaps to some degree she had learned to identify with his experiences. Cid, on the other hand, he wasn't military. His service in Shinra had been voluntary.

She sighed and focused on sharpening her blade, wanting to drown out any sensation of motion foreign to land. The devastation in the lower half of Wutai was unimaginable. The force of a SOLDIER was scary, but nothing compared to the impact of arial destruction. It was cold, impersonal, and did not discriminate between Warrior and child. The dishonor of killing anyone you could not see face to face was insurmountable, and her knowledge of Cid as an Avalanche member conflicted with her knowledge of what he had done as a pilot to warrant the honor of getting a first class airship named after him.

But the world was in Crisis. The guardian of Wutai, Leviathan whispered it to her from the waves of the ocean, and she had sought out Nanaki to learn more. She would put aside her worries. She had matured greatly in the mantle of leadership, and she understood the priorities.

She looked over as Nanaki walked in the room.

"This situation pains me, Yuffie," he spoke with worry "has the planet not been through enough already? When will this disease end?"

"I am hoping it already has, and that the planet is just expelling mucus." Yuffie said, wincing as she slipped the angle of the sharpening stone. She peered at the edge of the blade. No unreasonable damage. Nanaki nodded at her.

"It is a possibility I would not like to pass up, but I fear that something dark stirs. It does not feel like the infection caused by Jenova, even though it bears the guise."

~*****~

It was daylight in the north. Not much brighter than the dim beginnings of sunrise, and it would probably stay that way for months. They trudged through the deep snow in silence.

Sephiroth found that he disliked the cold, a new development. He was glad for the heavy, high collared wool coat, and thick gloves. It was probably due to the memories. Memories of losing himself in the cold dark crater of the north. Not that he had been wholly without control, it was more like he had lost the ability to discern his ambition from the ambitions of Jenova. The cold, cold, memory of crystalized mako deep within the northern crater.

His will had been free, something he would not like to share with someone. He had been sitting here in the cold, with memories of the darkness of space, the memories of power, power of consuming planets. Now they were just faded impressions, a long forgotten dream, overcome by the returned feeling of human emotions.

He supposed it was something chemical, had heard that chemical imbalances could cause instability in peoples psyche. It would be insane to assume that Jenova didn't affect his body chemistry. He could hardly explain it to himself. His mind had been so clear, his logic so sound, his purpose so right.

Remembering it was almost frightening. It was a dark side of himself that should have always stayed hidden. Everyone had one.

It came to his attention that Cloud was staring at him.

"What?"

"Are you okay? You seem kind of out of it." Cloud asked, clearly concerned, but trying not to let it show too much.

"Fine, just... memories," Sephiroth finished, blandly.

"So do you remember everything, then?" Cloud asked, clearly surprised. Sephiroth gave him a sideways glance.

"I thought you had realized that already," he said. Cloud shook his head, stomping his feet on the doormat to knock the snow off his boots. He was glad that the inhabitants of the town had been kind enough to clear a path in the snow when he had called ahead, telling them he wanted access to a cabin. He had to put his shoulder into opening the door though, it was jammed with disuse, and if he had tried to force the handle, he might have broken it.

"Lets start up a fire, and get the place warmed up," Cloud said as he walked in. Sephiroth was relieved that he didn't try to pry further. He had a lot of thinking of his own to do, and was not quite ready for a session of share and care.

~*****~

The hum of machines was soothing, despite the lack of enlightening results. You would think with so many dead ends, that the options would be narrowed down. The problem was that they didn't have options. Every test was a shot in the dark. There was no sign of what had animated the dead Jenova cells. At least no sign that their machines were equipped to detect. It was like playing logic with a sequence of over a thousand variables, with no notion of how many to plug in.

He needed more information. He needed an active sample. It had been quiet for months, but he couldn't afford to give up. There was no sign that there would be another outbreak, but he wasn't willing to believe it was over. What if he was wrong?

Louis smashed a fist into the hard metal lab table. A few aides glanced over in alarm, then went back to their work. Useless, pointless, busy work. There was absolutely no way they would be able to figure it out like this. He felt like he was told to solve the secret of DNA sequencing with a magnifying glass and a tazer.

He had never been this clueless in his life.

~*****~

They had relocated the remaining resources from Ghast to the cabin they had acquired. It was a difficult trek, the machinery was clunky, but they needed it to read the data off of. It was older technology, and the modern PHS could not slot in the data cards. It was lucky the two of them were superhuman, it would be an impossible job for a lesser duo.

Most of the remaining belongings of Ghasts were personal ones, all the scientific files having been ransacked, once by Hojo, most recently he assumed by Louis. He only hoped that Sephiroth could find something that would bring him peace. There was some left, but Cloud would have to employ some data recovery.

Sephiroth poured over the texts and papers with intense concentration as Cloud went over the data files. Cloud bookmarked any phrases or locations that mentioned anything about Sephiroth's conceiving, Jenova, and the Ancients, just for good measure. They went at it for days.

Cloud was feeling very anxious on the seventh day. This was a nostalgic moment. He doubted it would be a reoccurrence of the last time Sephiroth had spent so much time in study, but that didn't help the speed of his heartbeat, or the lump caught in his chest. He hadn't been able to do anything then to stop the madman, what if something happened again?

It was illogical to be sure, the trigger was not there. There was no sleeping alien life form emitting strange mind control waves, or whatever the specifics behind Jenova were. It would be bizarre though if it just happened to be today that they arrived on some strange epiphany.

"Cloud," Sephiroth spoke smoothly, interrupting the rogue train of thought. "Look at this. Is this strange to you?" Cloud glanced over with wide eyes at the charcoal drawing that Sephiroth held. It looked a lot like Aerith, with a background of the city of ancients. Cloud felt that familiar heart pang he got whenever he thought of her.

"Wait," he spoke, noticing something, "that's not the City of Ancients. I've never seen that place." He trailed off as he read the inscription in the corner, and realized that the woman in the drawing had a slight curve to her stomach.

_Library of Ancients, Ilfana is at four months now._

"Where is this place?" he wondered aloud. Sephiroth handed him the leather binding filled with loose leaf drawings. Cloud thumbed through them, most were pictures of Ilfana smiling at the artist, or at the scenery in the background. One of them had her atop a large building of obvious ancient architecture, gazing into the distance at the sea. Ghast had drawn a few constaltations above. Cloud blinked. "Do you know anything about astronomy?"

Sephiroth looked at the paper that Cloud held. A dark look passed over his face for a moment, causing Cloud to twitch slightly.

"No, I don't. I wouldn't forget that sky anywhere though. That has to be the view from Southern Wutai."

"Do you want to check it out?" Sephiroth nodded, and paused mid nod for a moment before glancing up at Cloud.

"I want to get there faster than the trip up here. I feel like we don't have much time. Do you mind contacting Highwind?" Cloud shook his head.

"No, it's no problem. I just don't want there to be any trouble between you and Avalanche." Cloud grimaced slightly. " I didn't handle the last incident very well." Sephiroth's mouth turned up in wry amusement.

"I'll be more careful about deep mako induced sleep next time"

"That's not what I," he paused as he realized Sephiroth had been joking. "You ass."

"I'll pack this up while you call the captain." Sephiroth said, already placing papers neatly in piles. Cloud pulled out his PHS, glancing at the bars. He was still amazed at the reception of modern day phones.

"Cid," he spoke, once the phone was answered. "We've some need of your assistance."


	18. Chapter Seventeen: The call in the Fog

The wind was strong when Cid got to the northern continent. It looked like a blizzard was blowing in. No time for niceties before they hurried off then. He dropped the ladder for the two down below, certain the duo in question had heard the Highwind descending. They grabbed the ladder, and Cid took off out of the area before waiting for them to climb.

Yuffie had thankfully not yet thrown up on his ship. He didn't want to test her endurance with the kind of turbulence a storm would bring. It was odd weather though, the forecast hadn't mentioned a storm. He slid out of his seat as they left the weather behind, and lit a cigarette as he headed to the conference room, where everyone was bound to have gathered.

"So what's so important about going to check out a bunch of ruins that Ghast went to on vacation?" Barret asked. They were all gathered around the table, Vincent was leaning against the wall.

"It's something connected to Aerith, isn't that enough?" Cloud was confused by the question. Sephiroth got an odd look of contemplation on his face at Cloud's response.

"Not for this kind of rush." Barret frowned. Louis walked into the meeting room with a stack of papers that he had left briefly to retrieve.

"Ghast was a scientist in Shinra. There is no way that he didn't hide things. It was a way of life there, like drinking coffee in the morning, or taking a shower. Anything in Shinra that required money was huge on political intrigue. I wouldn't be surprised if he hid a whole laboratory somewhere." Louis flawlessly picked up the conversation as if he'd never left the room.

"I thought that was just the craziness of Hojo," Cloud's forehead wrinkled in puzzlement. Louis shook his head; Sephiroth shook his head; Cid shook his head; Vincent shook his head. Yuffie laughed as they did it in unison. Cloud glared at her for interrupting the seriousness of the conversation.

"I was actually astounded by how well he's hid his secrets. I suppose it was stupid of me to not check his drawings for clues." Louis shook his head at himself. "It was just a hobby for him, despite his skill, he rarely used it for technical or scientific reasons, which I guess on it's own was rather bizarre. I'm not sure many people knew he could draw at all.

"In all my searching of his research files to discover some missing files on the Sephiroth exp-," he trailed off, giving the silver haired man a glance, "I never found so much as a hint of a project or trip to a ruin of ancients."

"It's not that odd with Ilfana in the equation," Vincent stated calmly, "considering Shinra's history and the way they treated science resources."

"My point is," Louis iterated, "there are probably secrets there, that were part of Ghast's projects, and may have something to do with our current crisis." Barret nodded, understanding the crisis part of the equation. His very core was still steeped in the desire to better the world. In this, he was always a driven man, that and family. He was sore about the incident with Tifa, after which quite some time had already passed, but he did agree she should be with her family. Her children were as of yet young. He had promised to keep her updated, if she would keep her lid on her emotions, and give everything some time to work out.

His feeling on Sephiroth's return were mixed. He hated anything connected to Shinra, and of course the whole freak alien thing, but the bottom line was that this Sephiroth had not done anything. It was against his methods to kill innocent people. He'd come a long way from his chaotic "few for the sake of the many" days in Avalanche. The deaths caused by their terrorist acts still haunted him, even if he didn't regret them.

~******~

The ruins were massive, with very little structural damage, the tallest building reached high above the forest top, and with the size of trees on this side of Wutai, that was impressive. The color of the buildings were far more brilliant than the City of Ancients in the north, and though the architecture was similar, it was unique in both shape and building materials.

The spires of the great building in the southern edge looked like a fairy-tale castle, stairs winding around the outside of the building rather than inside. There were many high walkways that connected buildings to each other, and it gave the appearance of some great fortress compound.

This place made it's northern cousin look like a small village.

"How on earth did anyone not notice this?" Cloud puzzled.

"If you were paying attention to the terrain, Cloud, you would have noticed that the cliffs surrounding this plateau make it hard to reach any way other than by airship. Wutai doesn't have airships." Yuffie spoke the last sentence with a bitter tone. Cid looked away, afraid to catch eye contact. "Most of the population lives in central and northern Wutai. The places in the south have some superstitions against going this far. They're left over from the eras that we used to have disputes amongst the Wutai people, hundreds of years before Shinra." Cloud blinked at Yuffie.

"You've learned a lot more about Wutai in the last decade," Cloud stated.

"I've had a lot more chance for exposure." Yuffie peered blankly towards the ruins "I was pretty young back then, and picked up a lot of animosity for Wutai from the people who remembered days that had been more glorious. It wasn't strange that I was so rebellious, wanting to get as far away from it as possible. I couldn't have made a difference back then anyway, had I tried." Yuffie sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else. Vincent gave Cid a glance, but Cid was still looking away, a stern frown on his face and an unlit cigarette in his mouth.

~*****~

The entire group (sans Louis) descended into the ruins. The lower levels were shrouded in shadows, cast by the towering tropical trees. Miraculously the ruins themselves were untouched by expected overgrowth. In fact, on closer inspection, it seemed that the ruins were completely undamaged by the erosion of time you would usually expect from any stone structure. It looked like a bizarre time capsule amidst the foliage surrounding it, towering above the horizon of green.

The shadows stirred, lengthening unnaturally for the time of day. They went unnoticed, the eeriness of dead and empty ruins keeping people's attention focused on the task at hand rather than the atmosphere. Everything was filled with shadows, from the intricate reliefs carved in geometric precision along the sides of the structures to the stone roads. The shadows were multileveled from the smattering of sunlight that filtered in through the trees.

Vincent glanced to the sides, his turk instincts tingling, but he saw nothing. They arrived at a great town square, a huge opening with stairways leading to the higher walkways in every direction, like a rectangular spiral. An empty fountain graced the middle with abrupt angles and geometric artistry.

"It's really different from the other place, isn't it? All square and angular." Yuffie said, awed by the picture from the middle. From inside the ruins, it seemed even more fantastic than the arial view.

"The other one always kind of reminded me of the ocean, all those seashells and shit. Funny that this one, though overlooking the sea, is nothing like it," Cid said, chewing on the end of a matchstick.

"The climates are vastly different," Vincent responded calmly.

"Yeah, and these buildings certainly don't look air conditioned," Cid drawled laconically. Vincent said nothing.

"Lets split up, cover more ground." Cloud said, the first sign Sephiroth had seen of the leader hiding inside. It was a small thing to notice, but Sephiroth was very intrigued by the different facets of Cloud.

"I'll take Vincent," Yuffie spoke up grabbing his arm and taking off to the north. Vincent looked startled, but went with it. "We can cover twice as much ground as you slowpokes." Cid placed his hand behind his head and ran it down the back his hair, shifting his weight to his other leg as he looked over at Barret.

"Shit. I think that was an insult." Barret nodded

"Sho was."

"Sephiroth and I are going towards that large building to the south," Cloud said, nodding his head in that direction.

"Fuck Cloud, I have no idea what I'm even looking for."

"Anything interesting," said a voice from Cid's feet.

"Fuuuu..!" Cid jumped a foot to the left. "Holy Airships, Nanaki, I forgot you were even here.

"We don't really know what we're looking for either. Just call if you find anything," Nanaki continued. I'll take the west path, I think I can sense some latent energy fluctuations over there." Nanaki sprung off in a feline gait. Cid looked over towards Cloud, to find he and Sephiroth had already left.

"I guess that leaves us with that stairway over there" Barret said to the airship captain. Cid just nodded, lit a cigarette, and plodded in a relaxed manner towards the stair.

"Don't really matter much, we're just burning time while we wait for more shit to hit the propellers."

"I have no clue about this shit either, Cid." Barret shook his head. "Give me a pick and a shovel any day. Fucking academic types."

~*****~

Sephiroth was uncomfortable with the feeling of nostalgia these ruins brought. There were multiple reasons for that discomfort, the major being his campaign in Wutai. The other reason was that it felt like returning home. That made very little sense, seeing as Sephiroth had no place he considered such, and it was a sensation he was unfamiliar with. The warmth was discomforting.

He was lost in contemplation when a sound like a gasp came from Cloud. Sephiroth glanced up to see Cloud staring at what looked like a statue replica of Aerith. Only it wasn't. It couldn't have been. It looked to have been built here with the rest of the architecture, a larger than life tribute.

The clothing was foreign, vaguely reminiscent of ancient Wutai ceremonial garb. The figure held what looked like a small round gem, or perhaps a materia. Cloud looked really pale, but mesmerized. He circled the statue observing every intimate detail of the piece under Sephiroth's intense gaze. Sephiroth felt a surge of jealousy envelop him. How close had they been? He turned towards the building just ahead of Cloud and the statue.

"I'm going to go look in the building, take your time," He barely bit out without sounding too irritated. He saw Cloud nod at him without taking his eyes off the statue. Sephiroth stalked off.

When he entered the building it was his turn to be mesmerized. Walls upon walls of books under a great domed roof. There was some kind of intricate mural at the top, but with it at about seven floors up, he couldn't fully appreciate the details. He glanced around to see stairs winding in a slow spiral around the entirety of the building, interrupted only by the balcony-like floors at uniform divisions.

As he made his way up the first stairs, he noted that something was off. He glanced at the empty floors, the ladder grooves carved in the walls between sets of books, and the stone shelves. There was no furniture. It seemed as though there should be tables and chairs, or something to that effect. It was an eerie ghost town and the books shouldn't have been there, he carefully ran a finger down one on the shelves, and was surprised to find that the books were firm and well preserved.

He felt drawn to the upper levels, and slowly wandered up the stairs towards the top floor. The mural on the ceiling came into view and it was an intricate work of art and symbolism. The style was not photorealistic, and it spoke volumes of the culture of the city, many lines were simplified, but the colors were intricate and vibrant. In the center of what seemed like a world of meaning and method stood a female figure in prayer with a round glowing object above her head. Around her was darkness that separated her from the rest of the mural. It seemed to threaten to consume everything.

Sephiroth's eyes were drawn to another edge of the ceiling as he thought he saw the whisper of some shadowy movement. It was a trick of the light, but the figure he saw there drew some interest. A depiction of a man in a black robe, silvered hair, seemed to be preaching to a mass, his eyes followed the events as he could only assume they progressed, and the same man seemed to lurk in the background of every scene. He might be self centered to think so, but the man had a disturbing resemblance to himself. He tore his gaze away.

He pulled a book off the shelf and started thumbing through it when he was startled by a loud shattering of stone, the sound coming from outside. He dropped the book and jumped over the railing in his hurry, forgoing the stairs altogether.

He arrived outside of the building only to find the statue that Cloud had been staring at shattered to pieces, and Cloud nowhere in sight. He looked around for any sign of him, and noticed the great trail of torn up stone winding back towards the center of the city. He ran after it, hearing the faint crashing of stone growing louder for moments, then silencing altogether, before starting up again.

~*****~

Cloud's head throbbed. He was having a difficult time dispatching with a threat that would usually only take him moments. He felt dizzy, disoriented, and this was also the first time he'd ever seen in person the anti-SOLDIER monsters that Wutai had engineered in the war.

He didn't have time to wonder what it was doing here as the huge maul it wielded crashed into the stone road where he had been standing a moment before. He oriented himself as best he could through the overpowering dizziness, only to gain enough time to dodge the next blow.

He could smell the faintly sweet stench of mako, something he had only learned to detect after the first occasion of his poisoning. It smelled like dreams and nightmares carried on the pollinated wind of night blooms. It smelled of secrets that were only revealed in moonlight. It smelled of hallucination.

A piece of stone shrapnel hit Cloud in the temple, near his eye, and he snapped out of his daze to move from another blow, this one much closer. This one drew a thin bleeding proof of negligence down the side of his face.

He had no choice but to wait for the next strike and then run. He needed a tactical advantage, he needed to clear the fuzz from his head. He focused on the warm feel of blood dripping down towards his eye as he bolted towards the center of the city, where he wouldn't be cornered by the size of the beast.

A part of him couldn't help but wonder how far away Sephiroth had gotten to, and how long it would take him to come assist. He didn't want to be handicapped this way. The whole city was hazed with the stench of lifestream, maybe he should have mentioned it earlier but as no one else noticed it, he didn't want Sephiroth to worry, especially after that last time.

The stench was only getting stronger as he ran towards the center of the city, like a thickening fog rolling in from the sea. Cloud wanted to turn the opposite direction and run away from the cloying aroma, but he was forced by death at his back to go on. The crashing and grunting was incessant, but the sound was becoming more muffled, like he was hearing it through water. When he got to the center of the town, it stopped altogether. He looked behind, only to see that the monstrosity had stopped chasing him, and merely circled the center slowly, as if to block all exit.

Cloud tried to think. The harder he tried, the more like syrup his mind became. It was sticky, and he was melting. Or was the landscape melting? He looked around in a daze, the shadows seemed to grow out of the ground as the colors of the city bleed into them, and everything started looking washed out, devoid of brilliance and detail of daylight.

A tall figure stood in front of the fountain, which was spouting mako in this hallucinogenic haze. He looked upon the figure and slowly his mind started to clear up, as if he was a camera newly focusing in a sudden change of light.

"I know you." Cloud said, "but you're not you anymore." He trailed off with confusion as he spoke. "You have the same look in your eyes, the same that he did when he tried to kill me."

The figure smiled sinisterly, and his face seemed to be alive with darkness.

"You may believe me as whatever you'd like" it spoke in a sickly familiar voice, "But I will have you call me Master."

~*****~


End file.
